Pre-Trial Decisions—Reinstatement of Driver's License

The denial of a petition to reinstate a driver's license presents a mixed question of law and fact.  Widdicombe v. State ex rel. Lafond, 2004 MT 49, ¶ 7, 320 Mont. 133, 85 P.3d 1271 (internal citation omitted).  We review a trial court's findings of fact to determine whether they are clearly erroneous and conduct plenary review of a district court's conclusions of law to determine whether they are correct.  Kummerfeldt v. State, 2015 MT 109, ¶8, 378 Mont, 522, 347 P.3d 1233 (internal citations omitted).  See also Brown v. State, 2009 MT 64, ¶ 8, 349 Mont. 408, 203 P.3d 842.  Because the suspension of a driver's license is presumed to be correct, the petitioner bears the burden of proving that the State's action was improper.  Brown, ¶ 8.