WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that authorities do not have to provide a quick hearing when they seize cars and other property used in drug crimes, even when the property belongs to so-called innocent owners. By a 6-3 vote, the justices rejected the claims of two Alabama women who had to wait more than a year for their cars to be returned. Police had stopped the cars when they were being driven by other people and, after finding drugs, seized the vehicles. Civil forfeiture allows authorities to take someone’s property, without having to prove that it has been used for illicit purposes. Critics of the practice describe it as “legalized theft.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the conservative majority that a civil forfeiture hearing to determine whether an owner will lose the property permanently must be timely. But he said the Constitution does not also require a separate hearing about whether police may keep cars or other property in the meantime. |
Teyana Taylor shows off her toned figure in denimTrain carries 261 vehicles from China's Lanzhou to AlmatyAustralian freshwater crayfish bring fresh vitality to rural Xinjiang2 dead, 3 missing as ship hits bridge in south China2024 Int'l Tourism Fair held in Madrid, SpainLatest data shows China's economic resilienceHayao Miyazaki's animated fantasy leads Chinese box officePolish opponents of abortion march against recent steps to liberalize strict lawA look at how jury selection will work in Donald Trump's first criminal trialFaith Ringgold, pioneering Black quilt artist and author, dies at 93