In September, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the state’s civil forfeiture laws, which allow police to confiscate money, cars, and homes without ever filing criminal charges. The ruling allows law enforcement officers to engage in legalized theft. This “policing for profits” is often used to provide additional funds for police departments strapped by budget…
While the world’s poor nations complain about their inability to vaccinate their citizens, one African nation recently destroyed a million doses of vaccine. Nigeria had received the vaccines knowing that they would expire in a few weeks, but the government was unable to use them in time. The executive director of Nigeria’s health agency said…
Civil asset forfeiture is a process by which law enforcement agencies can seize private property that they suspect has been obtained by or used in the commission of a crime. The property owner must then fight to regain his property. Unlike criminal cases, in civil asset forfeiture, the burden of proof is on the property…
Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors claim that civil asset forfeiture (CAF) is a crucial tool in fighting the “war on drugs.” CAF allows law enforcement agencies to seize property suspected of being involved in a crime. The Texas Tribune recently published a story that examines CAF in four Texas counties. Interestingly, in about 40 percent…
A recent article on Texas Public Radio illustrates what happens when the courts abandon one of their primary responsibilities: defining legal principles. Referring to a recent case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution’s prohibition on excessive fines applies to the states, the article notes: “It’s a landmark ruling because it made…
In 2014, Philadelphia police seized the home of Christos and Markela Sourovelis. Their son, who lived with them, had been arrested for selling forty dollars of drugs. The Sourovelises were kicked out of their home, the doors were screwed shut, and the utilities were cut off. Though they had done nothing wrong, they were homeless…
Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to seize property with little or no judicial oversight. “Policing for profits,” as the practice has been called, allows law enforcement agencies to use strong-arm tactics to obtain property, often when criminal charges aren’t filed. The Supreme Court recently ruled on a case in which an individual plead…
A recent editorial in the Austin American-Statesman called for legislators to enact “common-sense” reforms of the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws. The editorial correctly notes that Gov. Greg Abbott and many Republican lawmakers have trumpeted the cause of private property rights when it comes to annexation, fracking bans or local tree ordinances, yet they have…
Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to seize property that they believe was used in illegal activity. But they do not have to charge the property owner with a crime to keep or use the seized property. Instead, the owner is deemed guilty until he proves his innocence. In the vast majority of asset…
In October 2017, Anthonia Nwaorie was about to board a plane in Houston. The nurse was going to fly to Nigeria with medical equipment, supplies, and $41,000 in cash to open a medical clinic in her hometown. However, Customs and Border Protection officials had other plans for her. They detained her, subjected to hours of…