Momentum Builds for Civil Forfeiture Reform in Tennessee – Activists Meet at Annual Bill of Rights Dinner

Wilmington officials continue enforcing short-term rental policy deemed illegal by North Carolina court

Supreme Court opens door for more privacy intrusion

SC justices considering civil forfeiture accuse attorney of avoiding truth

Press Release

MEDIA ADVISORY

Report

A New Panel Dataset for Studies Using Substate Units of Analysis and Indicators of Drug Activity

SC justices accuse attorney of dodging questions in challenge to civil forfeiture law

Could SC cops be banned from keeping money seized in cases? Supreme Court hears arguments

South Carolina Supreme Court to hear appeal case striking down civil forfeiture

New Jersey receives ‘D-’ for civil asset forfeiture laws in recent report

Cities Are Pressuring Landlords to Evict People Under ‘Crime-Free’ Housing Laws

Sometimes You CAN Fight City Hall: Neighbors Saved Their Homes From Government Wrecking Ball

Guest column: Florida police need to follow Florida law

Scheme forcing homeowners to turn houses over to developer defeated

Florida leads the nation in civil asset forfeitures, study finds

Houston Homeowners and City Clash Over Property Rights

Answer defends denial of permit allowing homeless shelter

DC Decriminalizes Drug Paraphernalia; Pot Possession, Cultivation Now Legal in MT, More… (1/4/21)

Justices Trade Blockbusters for ‘Meat and Potatoes’ in 2021

Forfeiture is a vital tool in opioid fight

New national report gives Minnesota a ‘D’ for civil forfeiture

Report shows the high cost of innocence in Hawaii

Supreme Court to hear challenge to California farmers’ case against government-sanctioned invasion of private property

Indiana’s biggest court stories of 2020: From Coney Barrett to Land Rover saga

New York receives middling score for its asset forfeiture laws in new report

Local Governments Play Scrooge To Stop People from Helping the Needy

COMMENTARY: Asset forfeitures provide a $70 billion windfall for law enforcement

Who should keep an eye on drug seizure accounts?

New Mexico only state with ‘A’ grade for civil asset forfeiture practices

Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions

New report gives Pennsylvania a ‘D-‘ for its civil asset forfeiture laws

Charlestown, residents reach agreement in Pleasant Ridge code enforcement lawsuit

Abolish civil asset forfeiture

City of Charlestown, Pleasant Ridge neighborhood settle lawsuit over ‘immoral’ fines

After six-year battle, Pleasant Ridge case settled

Charlestown settles land-grab lawsuit with residents of low-income neighborhood

Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Doraville’s incentivizing of fines –

Trump Outlaws Ugly Federal Buildings

Congressman Introduces New Bill To Abolish Civil Forfeiture

Iowa: The state that stole Christmas through civil asset forfeiture

Asset forfeitures provide windfalls for law enforcement

Alabama police talk about safety but patrol for cash

Stop policing for profit

Judge ends suit saying Doraville writes too many tickets

Judge ends suit saying Georgia city writes too many tickets

Contra Costa DA makes stricter interim asset forfeiture rules permanent

Michigan rep introduces bill to end civil asset forfeiture

States Are Finally Revoking Cops’ License To Steal

Florida leads nation with $266 million in property seizures by law enforcement, study finds

Federal judge rules Doraville’s fines, fees were not illegal

Press Release

Institute for Justice and Georgia residents targeted with abusive fines will appeal ruling Federal Court Finds Doraville’s Addiction to Fines & Fees Constitutional

‘Trying to ruin us’: These Eagle residents say the town’s hefty fines for property violations are ‘abuse of power’

The civil thing to do

Magnio column: Asset forfeitures provide a $70 billion windfall for law enforcement

Justin Amash Introduces Bill To End Civil Asset Forfeiture Nationwide – Reason.com

Lange v. California: Restoring the Fourth Amendment’s Forgotten Right to Be Secure

When New Mexico Abolished Civil Forfeiture 5 Years Ago, Cops Predicted Crime Would Soar. It Didn’t

Yet Another Report Shows Asset Forfeiture Doesn’t Reduce Crime Or Cripple Criminal Organizations

New report gives Pa. a D-Minus for its civil forfeiture laws | Thursday Morning Coffee

South Carolina law enforcement agencies have forfeited nearly $97M since 2009, report says

Opinion: Bring police-seized assets into the light

Arizona earns D- for police moneymaking schemes

Press Release

Poor Forfeiture Laws Allowed State and Federal Governments to Forfeit More Than $68.8 Billion Over Past 20 Years New Report Finds Civil Forfeiture Rakes in Billions Each Year, Does Not Fight Crime

Contra Costa DA changes asset forfeiture policy, 18 months after pledging to do so; criminal charges, $1,000 threshold required to seize property

Arizona earns D- for police moneymaking schemes

NM End of Civil Asset Forfeiture Didn’t Increase Crime: Study

Police Say Seizing Property Without Trial Helps Keep Crime Down. A New Study Shows They’re Wrong.

Press Release

Current ruling violates the Fourth Amendment by allowing police to barge into homes without a warrant to pursue anyone suspected of a misdemeanor. Institute for Justice Asks Supreme Court to Reject Dangerous “Misdemeanor Pursuit” Doctrine and Secure Our Constitutional Rights

Critics say more needs to be done in Florida to close ‘policing for profit’ loophole

Report

Policing for Profit 3

Facing Crushing Fines And Fees, Wisconsinites Fight Back Against Town Board And Its Private Law Firm

Civil Asset Forfeiture: Policing For Profit

Public interest groups take aim at Pasco sheriff’s data-driven policing programs

Press Release

Small town in Waukesha County uses code enforcement to benefit a private law firm and to punish people who speak out Eagle Families Fight Back Against Out of Control Fines and Fees

Joe and Annalyse Victor

This Forfeiture Victim Waited 2 Years Without a Hearing. Is That Due Process?

Press Release

Government Routinely Holds Property Months or Years Without a Hearing; Gerardo Serrano Waited Two Years for His Day in Court Case Appealed to U.S. Supreme Court Seeks to Ensure Prompt Hearings After Property Seizures

In response to ongoing lawsuit, Wilmington considers changes to short term rental rules

How to Beat Legalized Larceny

DEA Returns Seized Money To Gambler

Roseau Lake Watershed project dispute to drag into 2021

Happy ending for gambler who had money seized by the DEA

Roseau County Landowners Demand Watershed District Disavow Eminent Domain, Receive No Guarantee Their Property Is Safe

Judge gives green light to class action vs City Hall over Chicago’s abandoned car impoundment policies

Drug Enforcement Agency to Repay Gambler’s Money Seized at Airport

P&Z recommends against allowing RVs at Cloud 9

Press Release

Roseau County Landowners Demand Watershed District Disavow Eminent Domain, Receive No Guarantee Their Property Is Safe

DEA to Return $43,000 It Seized From Tampa Woman at Airport

D.E.A. agrees to return $43,000 seized from Tampa Bay area woman

Press Release

DEA seized money at the airport and held it for months without ever charging her with a crime Tampa Woman Will Finally Get Her $43,167 Back from the Federal Government

Poll: Most Americans Want To Defund Civil Forfeiture

Lawsuit

New York Permit Fines

Wilmington will appeal ruling that struck down its short-term rental ordinance

Supreme Court hears arguments on serving notice, Federal Tort Claims Act

Wilmington files appeal after vacation rental law ruled illegal

Argument analysis: Two paths forward in lawsuit alleging unconstitutional police violence

Lawsuit

Small Wisconsin Town Weaponizes Code Enforcement to Enrich a Private Law Firm and Target Its Critics Eagle, WI Fines and Fees

Civil Liberty Suffers Bad Week on Interstate 85

Press Release

The Institute for Justice is asking the state Supreme Court to end “policing for profit” and restore South Carolinians’ expectation that they are innocent until proven guilty Theft of Seized Funds Demonstrates Deep Need for Civil Forfeiture Reform in South Carolina

City ordered to release records on ‘unconstitutional home inspections’

North Wilkesboro homeless shelter sues town over zoning rules

Washington DC law firm helping Homeless Shelter in Wilkes Co

The (Not So) Incredible Shrinking 4th Amendment

Without a ‘Right to Garden’ Law, It May Be Illegal to Grow Your Own Food

Press Release

Pennsylvania Judge Orders Pottstown to Hand Over Records In Pottstown Residents’ Lawsuit Over Unconstitutional Home Inspections

Can A Woman Sue Cops Who Shot Her In The Back? Supreme Court Unsure If Fourth Amendment Even Applies

Editorial: It’s time to end ‘policing for profit’ in Tennessee

Washington law firm steps in to help small town homeless shelter in North Wilkesboro

Case preview: Squaring impoundment with federal bankruptcy procedure

CJ politics week in review, Oct. 5-9 – Carolina Journal

Former Koch Industries Executive Recommends Justice Reforms Oklahoma Can Make

Court order allowing homeless shelter in N.C. 268 building sought

North Carolina City Ignores Its Own Rules To Keep Homeless Shelter Out Of Its New Home

Press Release

Order restores rights to thousands of New Yorkers threatened with evictions Federal Court Approves Settlement, Restores Constitutional Rights to Victims of NYPD’s No-Fault Eviction Campaign

Press Release

North Carolina Shelter Sues for Right to Offer Private Charity on Private Property

SpaceX pushes Boca Chicans to move as it builds Starship rocket resort

Lawsuit

North Carolina Shelter Sues for Right to Offer Private Charity on Private Property North Carolina Right to Shelter

How Pa. state troopers seize big money from drivers, many of whom are never charged

Carolina Journal Radio No. 907: New analysis reveals N.C. Medicaid expansion funding gap – Carolina Journal

Pressure is on for more police transparency. But NJ delayed database showing seized property

How Pa. state troopers seize big money from drivers, many of whom are never charged

If The Supreme Court Doesn’t Act, The Government Could Hold Your Car Indefinitely Without A Hearing

5 Most Absurd Foreclosure Stories

拜登上台要削减警费搞乱美国？完全是共和党无中生有｜事实核查

Carolina Beach shies away from short-term rental regulations unless state law changes

RBG’s Biggest Opinions, From Civil Rights To Civil Procedure

City of Wilmington granted ‘stay’ on short-term rental ruling, appeal may be next

Top NC news for Sept. 18, 2020

Surveying the Federal Government’s Kafkaesque System of Legalized Larceny, the 5th Circuit Sees No Due Process Problem

City of Wilmington granted stay on short-term rentals ruling

Judge: Wilmington can continue registration for vacation rentals – for now

Wilmington’s vacation rental law ruled illegal by judge

Top NC news for Thursday, Sept. 17 2020

‘Void and unenforceable’: Superior Court judge strikes down Wilmington’s STR ordinance

Judge rules City of Wilmington’s short-term rental laws are ‘void and unenforceable’

Judge strikes down Wilmington vacation rental ordinance

Judge rules Wilmington short term rental law illegal, both sides react

Snitchin’ Economics: How The U.S. Government Spends $500M+ A Year On Snitches And Informants

Reform Asset Forfeiture Laws in West Virginia

RV residents at Cloud 9 can stay temporarily as zoning changes considered

Press Release

Residents will be allowed to stay while Sierra Vista Planning and Zoning Commission considers amendments to city code Sierra Vista Council Agrees to Let RV Owners Keep Their Homes in Place

Advocates for RV owners at mobile home park give city ultimatum

Here are the facts on RV issue

A look into DHS asset forfeiture procedures

New report shows controversial law still generating millions for police in Minnesota

Press Release

After more than a year of refusing to issue a renovation permit, the city changed its mind after the Institute for Justice got involved After Homeowners Threaten Lawsuit, Seattle Backs Down From ‘Housing Affordability’ Fees

When agency management and the IG disagree

After the DEA Robbed Her of $43,000 at an Airport, She Joined a Class Action Challenging the Agency’s Cash Grabs

26 Owners’ Counsel of America Members Make Best Lawyers 2021 List for Their Eminent Domain Practices

Civil asset forfeiture reform back on SC House radar after near miss in 2019

Tampa woman says DEA seized over $40,000 at the airport without cause

Virginia must tackle qualified immunity

Press Release

Diverse Coalition Files Brief Asking High Court To Come to Aid of Debtor Who Had Car Impounded & Faces Crippling Fines & Fees U.S. Supreme Court Case Spotlights Chicago’s Rampant Abuse of Fines & Fees

Press Release

Federal lawsuit was launched after retiree’s life savings were seized at the Pittsburgh Airport Tampa Woman Joins Class Action Suit Challenging TSA and DEA Airport Seizures

City’s controversial land-use tool shuts down rental of vacation home

National law firm takes on Wilmington over short-term rental ordinance

Inside A Billionaire’s Fight With A Small Town Over A Tiny Vacant Lot

The DEA seized a retired railroad engineer’s life savings

Coral Gables Votes to Spend $1.1 Million on Giant Police “Mobile Command Center”

Press Release

Ignoring clear U.S. Supreme Court precedent, Vermont Supreme Court ruling allows for warrantless searches of people’s private property. U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Correct Dangerous Vermont Ruling That Guts Property & Other Constitutional Rights

National law firm takes over case against City of Wilmington’s short-term rental laws

Press Release

Lawsuit challenges city’s unconstitutional use of “amortization” to dole out rental-rights in a lottery Institute for Justices Takes on the Fight for Owners’ “Right to Rent” in Wilmington, N.C.

Lawsuit

North Carolina Amortization

A Lawsuit Against The Chicago Impound Program Will Proceed

Press Release

Lawsuit Challenging Chicago’s Impound Program Will Move Forward

Attorney says Mercer County prosecutors violating due process rights in forfeiture cases

Judge tosses state bid to kill lawsuit over spying

Planning and Zoning Commission to review RV stipulations following Cloud 9 removal order

FAIR Act: Civil-Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill Deserves Bipartisan Support

Press Release

Hindsight on 2020: IJ Launches Legislative Initiative to Help Lawmakers Craft and Enact Responsive Reforms to Crises of This Year

Battle Over Govt’s Hidden Cameras on Private Land Goes to Court

Press Release

Tennessee Property Owners Score Early Win in Lawsuit Against Warrantless Trespassing, Surveillance on Private Land

Open Fields: Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property Without Cause or Warrant

DHS Agencies Are Taking Millions In Cash From Travelers Every Year, Can’t Be Bothered To Stop Any Crimes

Multas excesivas en Lake Worth Lake Worth Excessive Fines

‘It would essentially mean I’m homeless:’ Sierra Vista gives RV residents 30 days to leave neighborhood

RV owners at mobile home park in violation, city says

Sierra Vista resident vows to fight city hall to keep her home

How Would Dismantling the DHS Affect the War on Drugs?

Letter: Clarifying points in recent Roseau story

They Want To Fix Up Their Home; Seattle Demands They Pay An Extra $11,000

Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property? Welcome to Open Fields

Facts about Land grab

Opinion: Starting a conversation: What could SC do?

Mr Sowers Goes to Washington: How an RTD hero changed US law to stop a government racket

End Civil Asset Forfeiture to Defund the Drug War

‘Defund the police’ is not a real reform strategy

The Cops Took This Guy’s Car Because He Unwittingly Rented It to an Alleged Drug Dealer

Millions in currency seized at airports, often due to reporting violation

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 8.4.20

This is Why Bitcoin: Homeland Security Seized $2 Billion in Cash at Airports in 16 Years

Report Details Eye-Popping Amount of Undeclared Cash Seized at Airports

Airport Robbery: Feds Take Over $2 Billion From Travelers Through Asset Forfeiture

Feds seized $2 billion at MIA, other airports for not declaring cash, report says

The Simple Trick The Government Uses To Take Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars From Travelers

Press Release

CBP and other Homeland Security agencies use civil forfeiture to take and keep currency from travelers whose only crime is ignorance of reporting requirements New report: CBP, Other DHS Agencies Seized $500 Million From Air Travelers Over Missing Paperwork

Homeland Security Seized $2 Billion in Cash From Travelers at U.S. Airports

Report Finds Homeland Security Seized $2 Billion From Travelers

Homeland Security Has Seized $200 Million From Travelers At O’Hare Airport Since 2000, Report Finds

POLITICO Playbook PM: ‘It’s not just Congress’

Homeland Security seized $2 billion from travelers, but most were never charged with a crime, report says

Landowners Say Roseau Lake Rehab Project Threatens Productive Farmland

Nashville Restrictions on Home Recording Studio Overturned

Roseau County Landowners Coalition teams with national nonprofit to oppose local flood control, wildlife project

Press Release

The Roseau Lake Rehabilitation Project could threaten thousands of acres of productive, family-owned farmland for no real public benefit Roseau County Landowners Coalition Teams Up with National Organization, Launches Campaign Against Minnesota’s Pointless Land Grab

Homeowners told permits for their home renovation will cost an extra $11,000, thanks to upzoning in Seattle

Case Could Declare Civil Forfeiture Unconstitutional In South Carolina

Think twice before heading to the airport with that huge wad of cash

The Feds Have A Long History Of Snatching People Up. Only Now They Are Targeting Middle-Class White People

Press Release

Seattle’s ironically-named law makes renovating a modest home prohibitively expensive for middle-income homeowners Seattle ‘Housing Affordability’ Law Forces Hard-working Homeowners to Pay Ransom for Building Permit—Now Two Residents Are Fighting Back

Chicago City Council Votes To Partially Reform Its Notoriously Harsh Vehicle Impound Program

Press Release

The Institute for Justice’s federal class action lawsuit to correct the program’s abuses will continue Reforms to Chicago’s Impound Program Are Not Enough

Chicago City Council Approves Reforms To Vehicle Impoundment Program

The Agenda: COVID-19 crisis looms as more return to work; Monument supporters call for cuts for cities that remove Confederate statues

Civil Forfeiture: When Cops Act Like Robbers, by Corey Friedman

Sweeping civil forfeiture reform could come in SC with case drawing national attention

Report

Homeland Security and Cash Seizures at Airports Jetway Robbery?

Living Legally in a Tiny Home

Lawsuit

Case asks court to end “policing for profit” and restore South Carolinians’ expectation that they are innocent until proven guilty South Carolina Civil Forfeiture

Press Release

Case asks court to end “policing for profit” and restore South Carolinians’ expectation that they are innocent until proven guilty Institute for Justice Asks S.C. Supreme Court to Strike Down Civil Forfeiture Laws

Civil Asset Forfeiture Under New Scrutiny Amid Calls for Police Reform

Sen. Paul Tries Again on Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform

A Bigger Market for Electronic Ankle Monitors

‘Music City’ Finally Legalizes Home Studio Businesses

Chicago Rethinks Why It Impounds So Many Vehicles

Now’s a good time to scrap civil asset forfeiture

Press Release

Bill now awaits Mayor John Cooper’s signature Nashville Repeals Prohibition on Home-Business Clients

Defunding the police – Cutting American police budgets might have perverse effects

The Future Of Nashville Home Studios, And Home Businesses, Hinge On A Crucial Vote

The Future Of Nashville Home Studios, And Home Businesses, Hinge On A Crucial Vote

Florida eases restrictions for business licenses, but at what cost?

Empowered by Excessive Regulations, ‘Permit Karen’ Harasses Her Neighbors and Calls the Cops

New Hope for Civil Forfeiture Reform

New Orleans Judge Steered People to Wear Ankle Monitors From Company Run by Campaign Donors, Lawsuit Says

Rand Paul Introduces Bill To Abolish “Nonjudicial” Civil Forfeiture

Letters: Pandemic exposes Louisiana’s addiction to fines and fees

Editorial: Better data needed on civil asset forfeiture

Lawsuit

Memphis Environmental Court

Press Release

The Institute for Justice is engaged in a federal class action lawsuit to correct the program’s abuses Proposed Reforms of Chicago’s Impound Program Are “Strong First Step,” But More Must Be Done

Report: Alabama law enforcement seized $4.8M in 2019; lawmaker wants more information

Civil asset forfeiture used by some law enforcement ‘as a major revenue source’

Music Producer Seeks Finale to Home Recording Fight With Nashville

Can Law Enforcement Seize Your Cash Without A Crime?

High Court Won’t Hear Law Enforcer Qualified Immunity Cases (3)

The Cops Who Sicced a Dog on a Surrendered Suspect Got Qualified Immunity. SCOTUS Won’t Hear the Case.

Trump administration ‘doubled down on’ converting private land for border wall amid coronavirus pandemic

Supreme Court Declines to Take Up Limits of Legal Immunity for Police

Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Challenges To Qualified Immunity, Only Clarence Thomas Dissents

Supreme Court Declined 8 Cases Challenging Qualified Immunity For Police Officers

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenges to Legal Doctrine Shielding Police From Misconduct Lawsuits

U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear Caldwell woman’s case after SWAT team damaged her home

Supreme Court Will Not Reexamine Doctrine That Shields Police In Misconduct Suits

Press Release

Ruling Leaves in Place System that Has Allowed Rampant Violations of the Constitution Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Cases Challenging Qualified Immunity

EDITORIAL: Here are three police reforms that deserve bipartisan support

Off the Cuff: Removing shield of qualified immunity

How Not To Build a Transpartisan Coalition for Police Reform

Policing Should Not Be About Generating Profit

Court Rejects Qualified Immunity For Cops Who Shot A “Motionless” Black Man 22 Times

Now in Effect: West Virginia Law Requires Strict Asset Forfeiture Reporting

Should Police Reform Include A New Look At How Police Seize Assets?

Press Release

Institute for Justice Appeals “Takings” Case To the U.S. Supreme Court When the Government Destroys a Home, Must It Pay for the Damage Done?

Republican Tom McClintock rarely sides with liberal Democrats. Why this issue is different

Press Release

Three Specific Ways to Fix Bad Policing

What is Qualified Immunity for Police Officers? These Six Cases Are Being Discussed By the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Weighs Qualified Immunity For Police Accused Of Misconduct

June 6 letters to the editor: Our Readers’ views

3 Libertarian Tips for the #DefundPolice Movement

Virginia finally ends unjust driver’s license suspensions

Nearly $150,000 Missing From Police Safe Shows Why Civil Forfeiture Is Fundamentally Flawed

Lancaster County Drug Task Force ‘Missing’ $150K From Asset Forfeiture Fund

Events of recent days remind us of the need for local journalism and a free press [editorial]

George Floyd’s Death Renews Calls to Revisit ‘Qualified Immunity’ for Police Misconduct

New Bill Would Abolish Qualified Immunity, Make It Easier To Sue Cops Who Violate Civil Rights

Press Release

County regulators had audacity to bill a resident thousands of dollars for the Health Board’s illegal enforcement actions With a Hunger Crisis Impending, One Washington County Doubles-Down on Campaign to Block Little Free Pantries

Press Release

Fabricated Doctrine of Qualified Immunity Enables Rampant Violation of Constitutional Rights And Allows Law Enforcement to Escape Accountability George Floyd and Beyond: How “Qualified Immunity” Enables Bad Policing

Why police can violate your constitutional rights and suffer no consequences in court

Opinion | The One Police Reform That Both the Left and the Right Support

Death of George Floyd brings debate on qualified immunity for police misconduct

Judge Urged To Ax Suit Challenging TSA Cash Seizures

Lancaster County DA: $150,000 missing in alleged ‘internal theft’, attorney general to investigate

It’s Past Time to Examine How Police Unions Protect Bad Cops

After 7 Years, Indiana Returns Seized Land Rover In Landmark Supreme Court Case

Cops Kill Because We Gave Them The Legal Framework to Do It

Police act like laws don’t apply to them because of ‘qualified immunity.’ They’re right.

Asset forfeiture reform bill falls victim to COVID-shortened session

Legal immunity for police misconduct, under attack from left and right, may get Supreme Court review

Friday round-up

Blog Post

Judges Should Not Use Their Power Over Defendants to Enrich Their Friends

Police Return Seized Land Rover To Indiana Man After 7-Year Civil Forfeiture Battle

Afternoon Briefs: Trump order limits social media protections; Texas court curbs mail-in ballots

‘A victory’: Indiana returns Land Rover after 6 years — with strings attached

Point of View: College student gets lesson in Oklahoma fines and fees

Seized vehicle that sparked SCOTUS civil forfeiture ruling returned to owner

Orleans judge accused of steering ankle bracelet business to company owned by former law partner

Indiana Returns Land Rover Seized in Landmark Asset Forfeiture Case—But Continues the Legal Battle Over its Ultimate Fate

Indiana Returns Land Rover Seized 7 Years Ago in Landmark Asset Forfeiture Case

Press Release

Case targets the relationship between a judge and a private ankle-monitoring company New Orleans-Area Residents File Class Action Lawsuit Over Due Process Violations in Criminal Proceedings

Judge’s connection to ankle monitoring company center of federal lawsuit

Press Release

Indiana Returns Vehicle in Landmark Civil Forfeiture Case, But Government Continues its Appeal

Why Did Arizona Democrats Kill a Bill Protecting Citizens From Police Overreach?

Short Take: Stealing From Jessop, Still Fine

Paul Petersen’s ex-wife asks lawmakers to change law that let authorities seize her homes

House panel approves measure to raise bar on forfeitures

Darpana Sheth and Daryl James: Profit-minded police exploit K-9 partners

Fed Shines New Light On Burden Of Court Debt

Lawsuit

New Orleans Ankle Monitors

High Court to decide if police can enter your home and steal from you

Should Cops Accused Of Stealing Over $225,000 Have Legal Immunity? Supreme Court Urged To Hear Case

Timbs civil forfeiture suit starts same as 7 years ago

After Seven Years And A US Supreme Court Victory, Tyson Timbs Is On Step Closer To Finally Getting His Car Back

How the police turned four bad checks into 20 years of abuse

Citizens In This State Face The Biggest Risk On Court Fines

Grant County man is closer to getting his Range Rover back from local law enforcement – TheStatehouseFile.com

Lawyers for Akron homeless advocate shift focus to remaining lawsuit

NJ residents exposed to fines and fees after coronavirus | James

Court orders Land Rover returned as Indiana loses again in civil forfeiture lawsuit

Indiana Man Gets His Seized SUV Back After a 7-Year Battle

Judge denies city’s bid to dismiss lawsuit in controversial code enforcement case

Judge: Seized Land Rover should be returned to recovering heroin user ‘immediately’

A City Court Punished An Arkansas Woman For 20 Years Over A Handful Of Bounced Checks

Press Release

Abuse likely to worsen amid COVID-19 crisis as municipalities search for revenue streams New report: State laws may promote municipal fines and fees abuse

Report

Municipal Fines and Fees: A 50-State Survey of State Laws

After long legal bout, man gets seized SUV

Press Release

Lower court decisions held that sending a lawsuit to a city’s attorney is not enough to alert the city that it had been sued Ohio Supreme Court Declines to Consider Whether Lower Courts May Create Barriers to Lawsuits

Press Release

Seven years after car’s seizure, trial court orders State of Indiana to return the vehicle “immediately.” 14 Months After U.S. Supreme Court Victory, Tyson Timbs Wins Civil Forfeiture Case

Judge orders state to return Tyson Timbs’ Land Rover, calling the forfeiture grossly disproportionate to the crime committed

Judge orders return of seized Land Rover that led to SCOTUS civil forfeiture case

Dunedin homeowner facing $30,000 in fines for tall grass, wins round one of lawsuit

Press Release

Dunedin Homeowner Wins Round One in Tall Grass Lawsuit

Alexandria, Virginia, should focus on public health and not tall grass during pandemic

Legal Loophole Gives Police Immunity For Destroying Woman’s Home

Righting a wrong

SCOTUS case highlights qualified immunity questions

Lawsuit

Landowners sue to stop warrantless searches Tennessee Open Fields

Press Release

Landowners sue to protect their rights under the Tennessee Constitution and stop warrantless searches New Lawsuit Asks Whether State Agents Can Trespass and Place Cameras on Private Land in Tennessee

Is Your Land Really Yours If The Government Can Watch You Whenever It Wants?

Eric Smith case shows Michigan needs forfeiture reform

Man will not get pickup truck back, Ninth Court rules

Supreme Court rejects Miami mom’s bid to recover cash for daughter’s ‘quince’ seized by feds

Michigan Prosecutor Arrested For Using Confiscated Money As His Own Personal Slush Fund

Friday round-up

Signed as Law: West Virginia Requires Strict Asset Forfeiture Reporting

Thursday round-up

Can Police Task Forces Play Jurisdiction Games To Avoid Liability for Misconduct?

A second pandemic: Virus opportunism

Supreme Court Brief

Supreme Court Will Hear Case That Could Let Cops Dodge Police Brutality Lawsuits

Supreme Court Accepts Case on Police Immunity From Lawsuits

Tuesday round-up

Press Release

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Police Accountability Case

Justices grant one new petition

Excessive Force Claim From Mistaken Identity Gets SCOTUS Look (1)

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge to Police Officers’ Immunity in Excessive Force Claim

High Court to hear case on police’s legal immunity involving Michigan man

Supreme Court Takes Up Suit Over Bungled Soda Stop

Supreme Court to hear case of Michigan man beaten by plainclothes police

Relist Watch: 100 years of solitude

Five Years After The DEA Wrongfully Took Her Money, Miami Woman Still Fighting To Get Every Dollar Back

Will cops get away with taking $225,000 in cash and coins?

Owners of home damaged in 2015 police standoff in GV appeal to U.S. Supreme Court

Press Release

Now it is up to the Supreme Court to decide if police officers can steal from citizens and get away with it Police Stole $225k in Cash and Coins, and the Courts Said “Okay”

DEA Returns Money It Stole From An Innocent Woman, Gets Court To Let It Walk Away From Paying Her Legal Fees

National Law Journal Supreme Court Brief

Virginia Lawsuit Over Civil Immunity for Police

After Almost Beating Student To Death, Cops Demand Legal Immunity

I was beaten by the police for no reason. Now the Supreme Court should give me justice.

When the Police Call Your Landlord

Supreme Court petitioned on police officers’ legal immunity

Trump Confuses Nation With COVID-19 Address

Greenwood Village family whose house was destroyed by police takes case to U.S. Supreme Court

City Destroys Home Without Paying: Will the Supreme Court Take the Case?

Greenwood Village homeowner appeals to Supreme Court over home destroyed during police standoff

Leo, Alfonsina and John Lech

Press Release

Lech family takes their fight for compensation to nation’s highest court after police destroyed their house in pursuit of shoplifter Homeowners Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court in House-Destruction Case

El gobierno le decomisó $15,000 ahorrados para los 15 de su hija. La madre lucha por el reembolso

Five Weeks After Being Sued, DEA Agrees To Return $82,000 It Stole From A Retiree

Feds grab $15,000 from Miami mom’s ‘quince’ savings for daughter. Now she’s fighting back.

Holding greedy government agencies accountable

Editorial: Fix flaws in forfeiture

Cash seized from Lowell women at airport to be returned

Oregon Engineer’s New Traffic Light Timing Formula Means Longer Yellow Lights

Man getting back his $82K life savings after it was seized at Pittsburgh International Airport

DEA to return $82,000 life savings seized at airport but doesn’t say why

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to return retiree’s $82K in seized cash

DEA Will Return $82K Life Savings It Seized From an Elderly Pittsburgh Man and His Daughter

Tennessee forfeiture laws have strayed away from original civil design

Father, Daughter To Get Back $82,000 Of Life Savings They Say DEA Wrongfully Seized At Pittsburgh International Airport

DEA Will Return Over $82,000 Seized From Innocent Retiree

Press Release

Without any apology, DEA will return more than $82,000 wrongfully seized at Pittsburgh airport six months ago, but federal class action lawsuit will proceed Pittsburgh Retiree to Finally Get Life Savings Back from the Federal Government

Legislature should pass bills to end planners’ abuse of eminent domain | Opinion

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Testing Starship Mk1 in Boca Chica Texas

Seattle Illustrates How Big Cities’ Limits On New Housing Contribute To Homelessness

Innocent Mom Gave Permission for Cops to Search Her Home, They Destroyed It With Grenades Instead

Chicago’s Vehicle Towing Program Is Unconstitutional, Class-Action Lawsuit Claims

Senate committee moves forward bill to move drug money forfeiture to criminal proceedings

Press Release

Institute for Justice Asks Supreme Court to End Shell Game Used by State/Federal Task Forces to Avoid Accountability Innocent Man Beaten Mercilessly by Police Petitions Supreme Court to Restore Constitutional Accountability

When Heinz expanded, a family business lost out. How the standoff from 1999 informs the debate over displacement. – PublicSource

Indiana man has been fighting to get luxury SUV back after 2013 drug conviction

After US Supreme Court win, recovering heroin user might finally get Land Rover back

After Undercover Cops Beat Innocent College Student, He Appeals to Supreme Court

Detroiters sue Wayne County over seized vehicles and fees

Press Release

Federal Lawsuit Will Proceed on Behalf of Victims of Unconstitutional Vehicles Seizures Following Lawsuit, Detroit Police Return Car Illegally Seized Using Civil Forfeiture

Police take Detroiter’s car, roll over his rights

Timbs forfeiture case back in trial court for excessiveness ruling

A Michigan Police Task Force Is Playing Jurisdiction Games To Avoid Compensating an Innocent Man Cops Put in the Hospital

Making Room for Home Studios

Victim of bloody police beating fights to hold attackers accountable

Can Anyone Win a Suit Against a Federal-State Task Force?

Michigan Man Beaten and Wrongly Arrested by FBI Task Force Does Battle in Supreme Court

SpaceX wants to ‘buy up a Texas retirement village where it wants to build its Mars prototype’

Daryl James: Don’t trade property rights for trails

Point of view: Freedom for the farmers’ market

State-federal task forces are out of control

Press Release

Amicus brief asks that government officials be held accountable for violating constitutional rights IJ to SCOTUS: If the Government Abuses Your Rights, It Has to Pay You Back

Innocent Owners Sue Detroit For Seizing Cars, Holding Them Ransom

SpaceX wants to ‘buy up a Texas retirement village where it wants to build its Mars prototype’

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

Editorial: Wayne County, stop holding cars ransom

Under Pressure, More Kentucky Agencies Report Asset Forfeiture Seizures

LAST TOWN BEFORE MARS: A senior executive at SpaceX is going door-to-door in South Texas to convince people to move out of the rocket company’s planned Mars spaceport

Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly

Homeless advocate takes Akron’s ‘tent city’ rejection to Ohio Supreme Court

Doraville strip club defies injunction — and files new lawsuit

Under Pressure, More Ky. Agencies Report Asset Forfeiture Seizures

Michigan County Sued For Stealing Cars From Innocent Car Owners Via Civil Forfeiture

Farmer Refuses to Roll, Rips Lid Off IRS Behavior

Retiree Loses Life Savings to Civil Forfeiture

Lawsuit challenges Wayne County’s seizure practices

Lawsuit: Wayne County’s Vehicle Seizure Program is Illegal

Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Detroit’s Asset Forfeiture Racket

Lawsuit challenges Wayne County’s controversial vehicle forfeiture law

Wayne County Took Thousands of Vehicles Without Filing Criminal Charges

Lawsuit accuses Wayne County of unconstitutional vehicle seizures, holding them for “ransom”

Wayne County hit with lawsuit over vehicle forfeiture program

Authorities accused of wrongly seizing thousands of cars in Wayne County

Lawsuit challenges Wayne County’s seizure practices

Robert Reeves

Melisa Ingram

Michigan Cops Seized This Woman’s Car After Her Then-Boyfriend Allegedly Picked Up a Prostitute

Lawsuit

Class Action Lawsuit Challenges Detroit’s Unconstitutional Civil Forfeiture Program Detroit Civil Forfeiture

Press Release

Case seeks to overturn dangerous precedent enabling Detroit to systematically seize cars from innocent owners and then ransom them back for hundreds or thousands of dollars Class Action Lawsuit Seeks to Shutdown Detroit’s Unconstitutional Civil Forfeiture Program

Wayne County vehicle seizure, forfeiture policies spark class-action lawsuit

FOX23 Investigates: Pearl District Buyout Battle

Border agents took his truck, rolling over the Constitution

Diane Dimond: The government taking cash for no reason

Border Agents Take Man’s Truck But Not Responsibility – InsideSources

COLUMN: Floridians shouldn’t have to ask for permission to succeed

This widow sued after being told to widen a Richland street. Here’s what happened

City gives Richland woman building permit instead of $60k bill

Press Release

With change, Linda Cameron can finally renovate her home without also having to pay to renovate a nearby city street Following Federal Lawsuit, Richland, Wa. Drops Unconstitutional Street-Fees Law

Retiree Who Had Over $82,000 Seized Sues TSA And DEA For Violating The Fourth Amendment

No US city fines people like Washington fines people

Wednesday round-up

Letter: Courts must stop abuse of power by government

New Jersey Is Now The 16th State To Require Convictions For Civil Forfeiture

Granite City crime-free housing rules displace hundreds — even those not accused of crime

Lancaster County District Attorney’s office releases drug forfeiture spending records

Pearl District, Crosbie Heights still waiting for answers on eminent domain

Supreme Court Asked To Tell Cops That Consenting To A Search Is Not Consenting To Having Your Home Destroyed

Agents seized this mom’s $15,000 in a raid. Now the Supreme Court may weigh in to help her.

Rigged Forfeiture Law Seizes Property In 4 Steps

The high cost of beating City Hall in California

Retiree Sues TSA, DEA for Confiscating Money Without Cause

The lives of NJ’s 19,000 inmates may change as a result of Murphy’s prison reform

Law Enforcement Will Have a Harder Time Seizing Property In This State

When the feds seize cash without due process

DEA, TSA Sued For Stealing 79-Year-Old Man’s Life Savings From His Daughter At An Airport

Lowell woman sues over $82,000 confiscated at airport

Press Release

Miladis Salgado luchó con éxito para recuperar el dinero de la quinceañera de su hija, pero ahora el gobierno se niega a pagar los honorarios de su abogado Mujer de Miami apela a la Corte Suprema para recuperar cada dólar confiscado injustificadamente por agentes federales

Press Release

New Jersey Governor Signs New Conviction Requirement for Civil Forfeiture

EDITORIAL: Come on in, officer — and wreck the place, while you’re here

Money grab: Law enforcement seizes money without cause

Woman has $82K in cash seized at Pa. airport; says it was her dad‘s ‘life savings’

A Loophole for the Lawless: “Qualified Immunity” Must Go

DEA seized a woman’s bag of cash at an airport; it was her dad’s life savings

Reports: Woman says agents seized $82,000 in cash at airport. She’s suing

Pittsburgh man sues government to get back $82K seized at airport

Man had his life Wealthy Seised at airport – Reno Hotline

Lawsuit: Man’s Life Savings Held in Tupperware Container Seized at Airport, Highlighting Case for Bitcoin

Friday round-up

Nationwide Class Action Filed Against TSA & DEA For Seizing Travelers’ Cash At Airports

The DEA seized a 79-year-old man’s life savings at airport and won’t give it back

Lawsuit: DEA seizes father’s life savings at airport without alleging any crime

Feds Sued Over $82,000 Seized at Pittsburgh International

Family Sues DEA and TSA After Elderly Man’s Life Savings Were Seized at Airport

Father, Daughter Claim DEA Seized $82,000 Worth Of Life Savings At Pittsburgh International Airport

‘Like I Was Mugged’: Woman Says Agents Took $82K From Her at Airport

Federal agency seizes Pennsylvania man’s life savings at airport, no explanation given

Does Letting Police Enter Your House Give Them Permission To Wreck It?

Qualified immunity is a loophole for the lawless

Idaho woman who says police destroyed her home takes case to U.S. Supreme Court

Pittsburgh retiree, daughter suing the federal government over seized life savings

Press Release

After police had a ten-hour standoff with an empty house—eventually destroying everything inside—a court ruled there wasn’t anything they could do about it. Now the Institute for Justice is launching a new project to ask the courts to reexamine doctrines giving government officials broad immunity from accountability Institute for Justice Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Hold Government Officials Accountable For Destroying Idaho Home with Grenades

Dunedin homeowner fighting $81,000 fine for code violations

Father and adult daughter sue feds over confiscated life savings

Tear-Gas Grenades and ‘Qualified Immunity’

South Fayette retiree, daughter sue to recover $82K seized at Pittsburgh airport

Father and daughter sue feds over $82,000 seized at Pittsburgh International

N.J. will now track how much money and property cops seize from residents

Terry Rolin

Rebecca Brown

Press Release

DEA seized more than $82,000 from retiree’s daughter as she traveled through the Pittsburgh airport Pittsburgh Retiree Sues Federal Government to Get His Life Savings Back

Lawsuit

Pittsburgh Retiree Sues Federal Government to Get His Life Savings Back DEA and TSA Airport Forfeitures

The DEA seized her father’s life savings at an airport without alleging any crime occurred, lawsuit says

New Jersey Supreme Court Upholds Pleading The Fifth In Civil Forfeiture Cases

New Jersey Passes Civil Asset Forfeiture Reforms

February 2020, Volume 29, Issue 1

Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Mandating Comprehensive Disclosure and Transparency Requirements for Civil Asset Forfeiture

Contempt for Renters Leads to Second-Class Search and Seizure Protections

PA Court Reverses Ruling On Rental Inspections In Montco Town

Granite City changes ‘crime-free’ rules for renters amid complaints, state law update

Pottstown suffers loss in court battle over rental inspections

Thousands Sign Petition Supporting Nashville Home Studios

Doraville is the DeKalb Neighbor’s 2019 Newsmaker

Pottstown Rental Inspections Challenge Proceeds

Forfeiture Cases Can Take Years, Even for the Innocent; Supreme Court May Help

Crime-Free Housing Ordinances Are Spreading, but Some Groups Are Fighting Back

Granite City votes to repeal controversial eviction ordinance; City seeks to dismiss constitutional challenges as moot

Missouri Cops Used Federal Loophole To Seize $2.6 Million From Drivers Who They Never Charged With Crimes

Civil forfeiture amendments don’t defeat prior forfeiture action, COA says

Year in Review: In 2019, troubles dominated legal news

James: Traffic cops set another revenue trap

New trial date set for Charlestown’s Pleasant Ridge case

Caroline Grace Brothers: Don’t do the crime, and you may still lose your home

National advocacy group asks city councilors not to use eminent domain for Pearl District detention pond

Tulsa’s eminent domain on Pearl District nears final decision

Tulsa puts brakes on plan to use eminent domain to build flood pond in the Pearl District

Press Release

New Jersey Assembly Passes Transparency Bill for Police Seizures

Since 2007, DEA has taken $3.2 billion in cash from people not charged with a crime

Cities abandon scheme to treat homeowners like ATM

The Other Access To Justice Rulings That Mattered In 2019

Carroll: In the Wild West of Colorado’s metropolitan districts, developers can take land by force

Traffic Cops Set Another Revenue Trap

New Jersey may make it harder for police to keep property they take from you

Patrick Jaicomo: Why city hall sees your home as ATM, sweet ATM

Homeowner Looking to Supreme Court After Police Destroy House

Help Reason Help People Who Get Screwed Over by the Criminal Justice System!

PIPELINES: D.C. Circuit to review ‘Kafkaesque’ FERC process

Police take girl’s birthday cash and stick mother with fees

Institute for Justice Takes up Case where Federal Court Ruled Government Owes no Compensation to Innocent Property Owner Whose House was Destroyed By Police

Innocent Property Owners Deserve Compensation When The Police Cause Destruction

Man beats property condemnation, confiscation plan

City of Doraville sued for budgeting ticket revenue

One Black Friday sale Pennsylvanians should be happy to miss | Opinion

Inside Petition Over No-Compensation Ruling in SWAT Home Destruction

Lawsuit wants Doraville to stop budgeting for ticket revenue

Robeson County returns to asset forfeiture program despite ongoing concerns – Carolina Journal

‘A fight at every step’: Trump’s wall will have to battle the people who live there

Attorneys for family whose Greenwood Village home was destroyed by police ask for rehearing

Greenwood Village owners of home destroyed by SWAT team appeal ruling denying them compensation

Press Release

National law firm joins the Lech family’s fight for compensation after police destroy their house in pursuit of shoplifter Homeowners Seek Rehearing in House-Destruction Case

TAKEN: How police departments make millions by seizing property

Exclusive: How civil forfeiture errors, delays enrich SC police, hurt people

Opinion: Why SC must end its civil asset forfeiture

Coalition runs Route 66 Marathon to defend neighborhood against eminent domain

City looking to demolish old Rite Aid building in central Ogden

Supreme Court Could Stop The Federal Government From Not Paying Legal Fees

Lawsuit

Miami Woman Appeals to the Supreme Court to Get Back Every Dollar Federal Agents Wrongly Took From Her Miami Forfeiture Attorneys’ Fees

With This Forfeiture Trick, Innocent Owners Lose Even When They Win

Cops Can Pull Drivers Over Who Aren’t Breaking the Law. The US Supreme Court Could Change That.

Press Release

Deadline to apply for cash settlement with city December 6, 2019 Video News Release: Forfeiture Victims Need to Act Now To Get Compensation for Taken Property

Press Release

IJ asks Supreme Court to End DOJ’s End Run Around Paying Attorneys’ Fees to Innocent Victims of Civil Forfeiture Civil Forfeiture Victim Takes Her Fight For Attorneys’ Fees to U.S. Supreme Court

Floridians should not lose driver’s license for being too poor to pay fines, fees | Opinion

Press Release

Many Americans struggle to find work because of arrest records, even if they were never convicted or charged with a crime, because they cannot afford to pay court fees U.S. Supreme Court Appeal: In Iowa, Convicted Criminals Can Have Their Records Expunged, But Those Too Poor to Pay Court Debts Are Not So Lucky

N.J. towns that dish out tickets just to raise cash must be stopped, non-profit law firm says

Owner of closed trade school to feds: Charge me or allow me to fight seizure of property

Liberal Massachusetts lawmakers want to seize your car if you vape illegally

Pending Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes in Massachusetts Authorizes Forfeiture of Vapers’ Cars

Time to revisit state civil forfeiture law

Stafford: Justices can’t kick Indiana’s civil forfeiture addiction

Press Release

A community in Tulsa joins together to stop city officials from following through with plans to tear down homes for “urban renewal” Save the Pearl: New Group Formed to Oppose Tulsa Development Authority’s Eminent Domain Plans

Range Rover case goes back to state court

Lawmakers urged to close loophole allowing law enforcement to reap benefits of cash and asset seizure

‘Taxation by Citation’: Why Money Won’t Buy Happiness for City Authorities

Colorado Supreme Court asked to review ‘old-fashioned land grab’ eminent domain case

Lawsuit

Institute for Justice Asks U.S. Supreme Court to End Colorado Law Permitting Neighbors to Engage in Eminent Domain Abuse Woodcrest Homes, Inc. v. Carousel Farms Metro. Dis

Libertarian law firm asks SCOTUS to consider Colorado eminent domain case

A Michigan Man Underpaid His Property Taxes By $8.41. The County Seized His Property, Sold It—and Kept the Profits.

Opinion: Taxation by citation undermines trust in city governments

Despite Rulings In His Favor Seized Vehicle Still Not Returned

Georgia city official denies claims of citation abuse

Study Reveals Cost Of ‘Taxation By Citation’ In 3 Georgia Cities

Indiana Justices Start To Clarify When Forfeiture Goes Too Far

Press Release

Appeals Court Rejects IRS’s Argument For Stonewalling FOIA Request IJ Scores Win In Lawsuit Against IRS Over Forfeiture Records

Indiana Supreme Court Slams “Oppressive” Civil Forfeiture Laws In Seized Land Rover Case

Company Enables Tax Collectors To Spy on Property Owners

Potential Client Intake Form Customs and Border Patrol Seizure of Electronic Devices at U.S.-Canadian Border

Despite Supreme Court ruling, seized Land Rover not returned

Deadline looming to file claim on property seized by Philly police, DA’s office

Majority justices remand Land Rover forfeiture case for excessiveness analysis

Report: Georgia Towns Too Reliant on Fines and Fees as a Revenue Generator

Press Release

Indiana Supreme Court declares that the state does not have a free hand to impose excessive fines and forfeitures With Indiana Supreme Court Ruling, Tyson Timbs Is One Step Closer to Getting His Car Back

Point of View: Tulsa has an eminent domain problem

Relying on Petty Fines To Fund City Government Can Have Serious Consequences

State Court Rules Civil Asset Forfeiture Unconstitutional, Tennessee Legislative Committee to Study Issue

Opinion: Suspending driver’s licenses over court debt fuels cycle of poverty

Washington Supreme Court: Impounding Cars Without Warrants Violates Right To Privacy

‘Taxation by Citation’ | Study finds four metro Atlanta cities using above average fines and fees to increase revenue

Press Release

Investigation of Georgia cities finds heavy reliance on fines and fees revenue puts citizens’ rights and community trust at risk New Report: Cities Pay a Price for Excessive Ticketing

Press Release

Investigation of three Georgia cities finds heavy reliance on fines and fees revenue puts citizens’ rights and community trust at risk New Report: Georgia Cities Pay a Price for Excessive Ticketing

Group says metro Atlanta is guilty of giving traffic tickets to pad bank accounts

DREAMING BIG: Pleasant Ridge neighborhood reveals five-year plan

Report

Case Studies of Three Georgia Cities That Rely Heavily on Fines and Fees The Price of Taxation by Citation

Study says Clarkston, Morrow, Riverdale using fees to pad budgets

Cities shouldn’t fine and arrest people for being poor

Press Release

Deadline to Apply is December 6, 2019 Time Is Running Out for Philadelphia Forfeiture Victims To Submit Claim To Get Compensation for Taken Property

Mobile towing scandal: Is asset forfeiture law killing a small business?

Illinois City Backs Away From Heavy-Handed Rental Inspections Rule

Yandle sides with Granite City renters challenging constitutionality of eviction ordinance

Charlestown code enforcement case headed for trial

Civil asset forfeiture in South Carolina is unconstitutional, circuit court judge rules

Pleasant Ridge homeowners in Charlestown will have their day in court

Press Release

Judge orders November trial on homeowners’ claims that the city of Charlestown violated the U.S. and Indiana Constitutions Pleasant Ridge Homeowners Will Have Their Day In Court

Facing A Seven-Figure Fine For Protecting Her Tenants’ Constitutional Rights, Illinois Woman Fights Back

40 pounds of meth, four pounds of heroin and $250,000: Suspected drug traffickers busted in string of cases

Press Release

Federal court issues two emergency injunctions against Granite City, Illinois’ “crime free housing” law First Round Victory in Challenge to Compulsory-Eviction Law

Chicago food truck fight is going to the U.S. Supreme Court

‘Music City’ Silences Recording by Home Studios

Richland widow suing city for right to renovate home

This widow wants to add a 2nd bedroom. Richland says she must widen the street too

Lawsuit

Washington Street Fees

Press Release

Lawsuit challenges city law requiring homeowners to pay exorbitant fees to fix up city streets before they can renovate their homes Washington Homeowner Sues for Right to Renovate Her Home

This Cleveland Woman Could Go to Jail Because Her House Needs a New Coat of Paint

Alabama civil asset forfeiture faces constitutional challenges as lawmakers ponder reform

Chicago Impounded This Grandmother’s Car For a Pot Offense She Didn’t Commit. Now She Owes $6,000

Tennessee Court Says Music City Can Keep Cracking Down on Home Recording Studios

A Florida Retiree’s Uncut Lawn May Cost Him His House

NPRI Issues Report Card 2019 Legislature

Nashville Producer’s Home Studio Lawsuit Dismissed by Court, Plans to Appeal

Press Release

Plaintiffs vow to appeal the ruling Nashville Court Dismisses Music Producer’s Lawsuit Challenging Ban On Home-Based Businesses

12 Years for $31 of Pot? Criminal Justice System Is a Failure

Press Release

The city holds cars ransom until innocent people pay for others’ crimes More Chicagoans Join Class Action Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional Impound Racket

‘Shake Down’ Culture of U.S. Courts Hits Poorest Americans: Judge

Landlord, tenants temporarily halt Zion home inspection program

Press Release

Federal court enters agreed order ceasing warrantless inspections in Zion, Ill. as legal challenge proceeds UPDATE: Landlord and Tenants Temporarily Halt Illinois City’s Unconstitutional Home Inspections

Food truck takes fight against Chicago’s GPS tracking rule to US Supreme Court

Press Release

Zion, Ill. threatens ruinous fines unless landlord forces warrantless searches on unwilling tenants Landlord and Tenants Sue Illinois City Challenging Unconstitutional Home Inspections

Lawsuit

Landlord and Tenants Sue Illinois City Challenging Unconstitutional Home Inspections Zion, Illinois Rental Inspections

Do Food Trucks Have Fourth Amendment Rights? Supreme Court Could Decide In Chicago GPS Tracker Case

VA Sued for Shutting Down Innovative Trade School That Helped Homeless Vets Get Great Jobs

California Cops Who Allegedly Stole Over $200,000 Can’t Be Sued, Court Rules

You can’t fight city hall, or can you?

A Victory for Property Rights in the Mountains of North Carolina

You shouldn’t need a viral story to get justice in America

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 9.20.19

A Shippensburg woman’s car was stolen, and now she has to pay to get it back

Dunedin mayor faces questions over home conditions

Nashville Studio owner fights for right to run home business

Federal Court: Cops Accused Of Stealing Over $225,000 Have Legal Immunity

El Senado tomaría acción a favor de comunidades

Discuten en vista pública proyecto para enmendar la Ley de Expropiaciones

Supreme Court Traffic Stop Case Could Drastically Limit Drivers’ Fourth Amendment Rights

Press Release

Reporter Carter Walker and LNP will file new request for information on Lancaster district attorney’s spending Judge Declares Lancaster District Attorney Forfeiture Records Subject to Right to Know Law Request

Judge issues order in regards to Lancaster County DA’s appeal of LNP open records request

Lancaster County judge orders district attorney to release some drug forfeiture records, but not all

STATEHOUSE REEDER: Family faces eviction for crime committed by former guest

Attorneys for City of Charlestown & Pleasant Ridge Residents present cases in lawsuit

Attorneys present arguments to judge in Pleasant Ridge lawsuit

It’s time to stop funding local governments with unfair court fines

Commissioners and district attorney’s legal squabble costs thousands in taxes

EDITORIAL: ‘He seizes a lot of dope and a lot of cash’

Press Release

Texas Supreme Court Punts on Property Rights; Denies Hearing Hinga Automotive’s Appeal

Federal Court Rules State Judges Cannot Profit From Fines and Fees Imposed on Defendants in the Cases Before Them

Federal Court Declares New Orleans Debtor’s Prison Unconstitutional

Nearly 600 Towns Get 10% Of Their Budgets (Or More) From Court Fines

Homeless campground owner appeals decision to dismiss his case

Woman who sued for front-yard veggie gardens dies in Florida

A green thumb who fought City Hall to keep her vegetable garden has died at 63

An Inside Look at Chicago’s Seedy Car-Impound Netherworld

Are towing companies scamming you? Veteran says motorcycle stolen, recovered, stolen again

How the Innocent Are Collateral Damage From ‘Crime-Free Housing’ Laws

Op-Ed: How Illinois families can face eviction for crimes they didn’t commit

Surely Chicago has bigger things to worry about than a cupcake truck

City Wants to Force Landlord to Evict Family Who Did Nothing Wrong

Judge Attacks “Kafkaesque Regime” That Lets Pipeline Companies Seize Land With Eminent Domain

What Will Happen to Epstein’s $77 Million NYC Townhouse

Afternoon Briefs: Woman fined $100K for dirty pool and tall grass; county bar sued for pregnancy bias

Dad sued for slander because he criticized the education system

Grass Gestapo Out Of Control: $30K Fine & Potential Foreclosure For Too-Long Lawn

The Grass Gestapo Is Out of Control: 30K in Fines and Potential Foreclosure for a Too-Long Lawn

A Granite City family took in a teen. Now they face eviction because of his crime.

Reasserting the Right to Front-Yard Gardening

Granite City threatens family with eviction after house guest burglarizes tavern

Feds are using a controversial method to rescue dogs used for fighting. Is it a useful tool or a PR move?

Town’s Forced Eviction Law Faces Constitutional Challenge

City Trying to Evict Innocent Family From Home

Granite City facing federal lawsuit over controversial crime-free housing ordinance

Lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Granite City’s ‘crime free’ housing ordinances

Federal Lawsuit Claims Granite City’s Crime-Free Housing Rules Are Unconstitutional

Now in Effect: North Dakota Reforms Asset Forfeiture, But Federal Loophole Remains

5 Most Absurd Foreclosure Stories

Lawsuit Challenges Ordinance Requiring Eviction of Entire “Household” if One Member Has Committed a Crime

Couple Finally Gains Back The Right To Plant Vegetables In Their Own Front Yard After A 6-Year Battle In Florida

Lawsuit

Illinois Family Sues to End Law Threatening Them With Compulsory Eviction for a Crime They Did Not Commit Granite City Compulsory Evictions

Residents ask for summary judgement in Pleasant Ridge lawsuit

The Democrats’ land-grab agenda no one is talking about

House committee holds marathon hearing on policing: ‘It’s getting embarrassing to be a Missourian’

New Arkansas Law Ends Civil Asset Forfeiture

Civil Asset Forfeiture: New Research Indicates Limited Value, Federal and State Reform Legislation Pending

Homeless operation ordered to close at former tent city in Akron

Is Doraville ticketing for revenue? A lawsuit that may move forward states the city is in serious violation

Dunedin asks court to dismiss unmowed lawn lawsuit

City of Dunedin files motion to dismiss code enforcement lawsuit of homeowner who owes $30k in fines

Governor’s Veto Means Hawaiians Will Continue Suffering Property Rights Violations

Woman fined $100,000 for overgrown weeds and a dirty pool. She’s not alone.

Florida woman fined over $100,000 for overgrown grass on foreclosed property

Florida woman fined over $100,000 for unkept pool and lawn from a house she does not own: report

EDITORIAL: Justice blooms for gardeners

Report: Michigan police kept $15 Million taken mostly from small seizures in 2018

Barefootin’ column sheds light on big problem

A Florida woman was fined $100,000 for a dirty pool and overgrown grass. When do fines become excessive?

Torpy at Large: Challenging Doraville’s ticket to riches a fine thing

How Oklahoma’s Top Prosecutors Gang Up Against Reform

Headlines – Conservative groups want new taxpayer advocate to ride herd on IRS

Government Fines Man for Overgrown Grass

Hawaii Governor Vetoes Bill Aimed to End Confiscation of Property Without a Conviction

Kentucky man suing government for taking truck at the border in civil forfeiture case

Law Curbs IRS’s Power To Raid SMB Bank Accounts

Press Release

Doraville Homeowners Score Another Win in Lawsuit Challenging City’s Excessive Ticketing

Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best and Most Absurd

Government Bullies

Report: Michigan Police Kept $15 Million Taken Mostly From ‘Little Guys’ In 2018

Trump Signs New Law To Protect Innocent Small Business Owners From IRS Seizures

Governor vetoes 18 bills

Stossel: Mow Your Lawn or Lose Your House!

Legislature can divert civil forfeiture proceeds away from school fund, Indiana Supreme Court rules

Florida Homeowners Can Now Plant Front-Yard Veggie Gardens After Couple’s 6-Year Battle – Florida Insider

Lawmakers Argue Constitution Gives Gov’t Right To Steal Your Car if You’re Caught Speeding

After 6-Yr Struggle, Florida Couple Wins Proper to Develop Veggies at House

After 6-Year Fight, Florida Couple Wins Right to Grow Veggies at Home

Florida couple win six-year fight to grow vegetables in their yard

One Woman’s Quest To Get Back Her Vegetable Garden Results In New Florida Law

Indiana Is Still Arguing That It’s Constitutional To Seize Your Car for Driving 5 MPH Over the Speed Limit

Six years later, Florida couple wins right to plant veggies in their front-yard

Florida Couple Wins Right To Plant Veggie Garden In Front Lawn

Florida couple celebrates closure of 6-year legal battle over vegetable garden

Front-yard veggie gardeners declare victory

After 6-Year Battle, Florida Couple Wins The Right To Plant Veggies In Front Yard

Customs Agency Cash Seizures at Airports Cost Travelers Millions

Hawaii lawmakers, others urge passage of asset forfeiture bill

6-Year Fight Over a Vegetable Garden Has Ended

New Law Stops IRS From Stealing People’s Money Simply Because It Deems Their Bank Deposits Suspiciously Small

Press Release

Trump Signs Bill to Protect Small-Business Owners from IRS Seizures

Want to dramatically improve Chicago’s entrepreneurial climate? Scrap the food-truck restrictions.

Selling ‘veggie burgers’ in Mississippi can land you in prison. Company sues state over law

PIPELINES: Landowners ask justices to nix companies’ ‘quick take’ power

Florida couple’s front-yard garden legal after 6-year battle

Prosecutors try to seize $140,000

Miami Shores couple claims victory after law goes into effect allowing front lawn gardening

It’s now your right to plant fruits, veggies in your front lawn

Trump Signs Law Making It Harder for IRS to Seize Money From Americans

Miami area couple re-plants garden after legislative victory

Miami Shores Couple Celebrate Beating Ban By Planting Garden

Civil forfeiture case back before Indiana justices on SCOTUS remand