Most Americans hadn’t heard of civil forfeiture before John Oliver did a deep dive on the practice two years ago. And it seems like his critique and others like it have gotten not just the attention of citizens, but of judges as well.
After the rampant expansion of law enforcement entities seizing assets in criminal cases, largely with judicial support, the Supreme Court looks like it may be finally reigning in the practice. A unanimous Court ruled that the federal government overstepped its bounds by seizing personal property it could not prove had actually been “tainted” by criminal activity.
