Senate Judiciary Committee: The Need to Reform Asset Forfeiture
Russ Caswell was the owner of Motel Caswell for over two decades. His father built the motel in 1955, and it was family-owned and ran for over 50 years. Since…
Mandatory Minimums: A 20th Century Solution to a 21st Century Problem (Part 1)
The punishment should fit the crime. A simple maxim that is no longer always followed in this country. For too long many nonviolent criminals have had sentences imposed on them…
Civil Forfeiture Reform: States Have Led, More Need to Follow
Under civil asset forfeiture, the government can take someone’s property without convicting them of a crime. The law has its basis in British admiralty law and makes little sense in…
Obama’s Private Army: Militarizing the Federal Agencies
Currently there are 73 federal agencies that have full-time armed officers with arresting authority. According to a 2008 report by the Department of Justice, there were 120,000 full-time…
Wait, the government can take YOUR property without convicting you of a crime?
Civil asset forfeiture laws allow the government to seize private property, even when citizens’ haven’t been charged with a crime. These laws are a glaring violation of our 5th Amendment…