Chicago cell phone ban withstands challenge

A lawsuit challenging Chicago's ban on driving while using a cell phone without a hands-free device has been dismissed by a federal judge.

The lawsuit was filed by a lawyer who wanted the city to drop outstanding tickets to violators of the ban and refund fines collected over the three years the law has been in effect.

U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo ruled that the safety of the people on Chicago's streets is a rational justification for the ordinance.

The top lawyer for Mayor Richard Daley on Wednesday mocked attorney Blake Horwitz's assertion last year that he was "100 percent" certain his lawsuit would be successful.

Corporation Counsel Mara Georges says Horwitz was 100 percent wrong.

Under the cell phone ordinance, anyone caught driving and talking on the phone in Chicago faces a $75 fine.