The Supreme Court just unanimously voted to stop the police from stealing your stuff for no reason.

[RKP5637]

https://www.upworthy.com/the-supreme-court-just-unanimously-voted-to-stop-the-police-from-stealing-your-stuff-for-no-reason?c=upw1

In a landmark unanimous decision issued Wednesday, February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled civil asset forfeiture unconstitutional because it violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against excessive fines and fees.

Civil asset forfeiture allows local law enforcement agencies to seize people’s cars, cash, homes, and pretty much anything else that is suspected of being used to commit a crime.

To get their property back, citizens have to prove it wasn’t obtained illegally, even in situations where no indictment was filed.

A Washington Post report found that from 2008 to 2014, 81% of cash and property seizures came from incidents in which no indictment was filed.

According to the Institute for Justice, in 2015 Treasury and Justice departments deposited more than $5 billion into their respective asset forfeiture funds. The same year, the FBI reports that in-home burglary losses were $3.5 billion.

[Takket]

1. good

this was also an un-american practice of "prove your innocence". The government should very much be allowed to seize assets that they can PROVE in a court of law that you came by illegally (which i'm fully hoping they will do to bankrupt the drumpf cabal when the time comes, like they did manafort). Other than that just because i stole a candy bar doesn't mean you can take my car and make me prove i didn't steal that too.

[dameatball]

2. Hooorayyyy. This crap has been going on for decades.

Too bad it did not apply to NRA campaign contributions. What is the difference between asking "what are you going to do with the money" and "where did the money come from?

[bernie59]

3. Nice to see a unanimous decision

I guess there are still a few things that don't create a partisan divide.

[gopiscrap]

4. excellent

you know it's a bad law when even the fucking assholes on the court vote to over turn it

[TexasBlueDog]

5. Wonderful news...

Let's see some money returned.

[Hotler]

6. Our local cops seemed to have plenty of money (resources) , but our fire department..

for some reason was starved of money (resources). City council cried "we don't have any money for new mattresses, sheets, pillows for the crews. They said it was soooooo bad they had to disband the fire department and merge with Denver metro.

[Polybius]

7. So does this mean that cops can't take and auction your car off if you drive drunk?

NY State or NYC passed that law over a decade ago.

[Drahthaardogs]

10. Doubt it.

In that case, it WAS used in a crime.

[NutmegYankee]

11. It's possible if the car value exceeds the fine.

The case that caused this was the forfeiture of a $40,000 SUV for a $10,000 max possible criminal fine.

[dchill]

8. Broken clocks...

[LuvNewcastle]

9. About time!

This has been literal highway robbery in many cases. I'm glad the SCOTUS response was so overwhelming against this practice.