Civil Asset Forfeiture: Grading the States
Civil asset forfeiture is a unique area of law in which the government charges specific property of being guilty of wrongdoing, rather than a person. Perhaps because the property is…
New report reveals shocking abuse of Pennsylvania’s civil asset forfeiture laws against innocent property owners
Pennsylvania’s long-awaited, all-encompassing civil asset forfeiture reform bill was introduced in the Senate in bipartisan fashion. Just before the bill was introduced, the Commonwealth’s chapter of the American Civil…
GOP-controlled Michigan House passes a comprehensive civil asset forfeiture reform package
On Thursday, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a bipartisan package of eight bills that would overhaul the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws to offer more protections for innocent property…
Pennsylvania lawmakers introduce legislation to protect innocent property owners from government overreach
Christo Sourovelis was surprised, in May 2014, to find out that his 22-year-old son, Yanni, was selling $40 worth of drugs out of the family’s suburban Philadelphia home. His son,…
Legislation on the move in California to protect innocent property owners from abuse of civil asset forfeiture
The California Senate considered a bill on Wednesday that would close a big loophole in the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws that currently permits state and local law enforcement to…
Maryland’s Republican governor misses a big opportunity to protect innocent private property owners
Maryland General Assembly sought to add Maryland to a growing list of states that have reformed their civil asset forfeiture laws. Some states, such as New Mexico and Montana, have…
Rand Paul made the constitutional conservative case for justice reform in his nearly 11-hour filibuster
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered a nearly 11-hour constitutional seminar on Wednesday evening. He defended Americans’ civil liberties against problematic provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that have been broadly…
This business owner fought IRS abuse of civil asset forfeiture and forced the government to return $107,000 of wrongfully seized cash
The Internal Revenue Service has agreed to give back nearly $108,000 it wrongfully seized from a North Carolina convenience store owner in July 2014. In dismissing the case against the…
Michigan lawmakers are taking action to protect innocent people from the state’s backward civil asset forfeiture laws
Michigan lawmakers are forging ahead on a Republican-backed package of bills that would reform the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws. The reforms would restore due process protections for innocent property…
Oklahoma lawmaker comes under fire for trying to protect innocent people’s property
State Sen Kyle Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) recognizes that Oklahoma lacks adequate protections for innocent people whose property is seized by overzealous law enforcement. With the Oklahoma Legislature set to…