NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is appealing a federal court ruling that says it's unconstitutional for the state to revoke or suspend driver's licenses over unpaid court costs.

The Tennessean reports state Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner David Purkey filed a notice of appeal Wednesday. The motion asks the U.S. Court of Appeals to review U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger's ruling from earlier this month.

Trauger wrote that the revocations are powerfully counterproductive and deprive constitutional due process and equal protection.

The ruling could have wider implications for dozens of other states, since more than 40 allow similar suspensions.

The ruling says Tennessee revoked 146,211 driver's licenses from July 2012 to June 2016 under state law for failure to pay court debts. Only about 7 percent of those licenses were reinstated.

___

Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com