Ending the Punishment of Poverty: Supreme Court Rules Against High Fines...

Ending the Punishment of Poverty: Supreme Court Rules Against High Fines & Civil Asset Forfeiture

Democracy Now!
Published on Feb 21, 2019

https://democracynow.org - In a major victory for civil liberties advocates, the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to limit the practice of civil asset forfeiture—a controversial practice where police seize property that belongs to people suspected of crimes, even if they are never convicted. On Wednesday, the court ruled the Eighth Amendment protects people from state and local authorities imposing onerous fines, fees and forfeitures to generate money. The case centered on an Indiana man named Tyson Timbs, whose Land Rover was seized when he was arrested for selling drugs. The vehicle was worth $42,000—more than four times the $10,000 maximum fine Timbs could receive for his drug conviction under state law. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Timbs’s favor. Writing on behalf of the justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, “The historical and logical case for concluding that the 14th Amendment incorporates the Excessive Fines Clause is overwhelming.” We speak with Lisa Foster, co-director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center. Her organization filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case. Foster is a retired California judge. She served in the Justice Department during the Obama administration and led the department’s efforts to address excessive fines and fees.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
I agree, especially, with the illegitimate, thieving, human trafficking, horrifically evil, organized criminal, in the White House at this time!  # Fact Sincerely, Shawnee Melissa Gira Grant / June 25, 2020 The Justice Department’s Fake Fight Against Sex Trafficking Newspapers love a good “Feds take down sex trafficking” story, even if there are no sex traffickers actually taken down. EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES When the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas  announced  it had  seized  another advertising website used by sex workers, QAnon followers loaded its Twitter feed down with patriotic congratulations and a predictable  helping  of conspiracy theories. (As one read: “Has anyone else been noticing all of the Human traffickers and Pedos getting busted in the last couple of weeks, while the news is showing us footage people throwing bricks thru windows and burning cop cars?”) It’s a  refrain  t
Read more

Jeffrey Epstein's accusers can now seek compensation from fund | | cbs46.com

Image
Jeffrey Epstein's accusers can now seek compensation from fund | | cbs46.com Finally!!! Jeffrey Epstein's accusers can now seek compensation from fund By Madeline Holcombe and Lauren del Valle, CNN Posted  16 hrs ago     0 Jeffrey Epstein's accusers can now seek compensation from fund. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images Facebook Twitter Email Print Save (CNN) - Alleged victims of  Jeffrey Epstein , many of whom were underage girls at the time, may now file claims to be compensated for enduring his abuse. After months of negotiating between counsel for the executors of Epstein's estate and the alleged victims, a probate judge in the US Virgin Islands gave the compensation program the green light in early June. Claims can be filed starting Thursday. Epstein allegedly transported underage girls to his homes in the US Virgin Islands and forced them into sex work from 2001 through 2018, according to  a lawsuit filed by the
Read more

Can the Government Throw You Out of Work? (Not in Some States!)

Image
Can the Government Throw You Out of Work? (Not in Some States!) May 22, 2020 InstituteForJustice With more Americans out of work than any time in recorded history, whether or not they will be able to earn a living is top of mind for many people. All too often, however, courts turn a blind eye to laws and rules that arbitrarily and unnecessarily shut people out of work. Recent state supreme court decisions indicate that’s starting to change—and the revolution can’t come fast enough. We discuss what’s happening—and why it matters—in today’s episode. https://ij.org/podcasts/deep-dive-pod... Hear about the cases, issues, and tactics advancing IJ’s fight from freedom—directly from the people on the front lines. Deep Dive with the Institute for Justice explores the legal theories, strategies, and methods IJ uses to bring about real world change, giving listeners and inside look at how—and why—we do what we do. iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify
Read more