Civil-Asset Forfeiture: Congress Should Limit

In June, the House Judiciary Committee advanced the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act (FAIR) by unanimous vote. This bipartisan effort is a step in the right direction toward abolishing an inherently un-American practice.

The legislation, sponsored by Representatives Tim Walberg (R., Mich.), Jamie B. Raskin (D., Md.), and others, would impose meaningful limits on federal civil asset forfeiture, the practice that permits law-enforcement agencies to seize innocent Americans’ personal property — from cars to cash to homes and businesses — on the mere suspicion that the items were involved in criminal activity. Once the property is seized, owners are tasked with navigating a byzantine process, making it unlikely they ever will regain the stolen property.

JJ

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Jill Jacobson

Jill Jacobson is a law student at Boston College Law School, a visiting fellow at Independent Women’s Law Center, and a contributor at Young Voices.

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In June, the House Judiciary Committee advanced the Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act (FAIR) by unanimous vote. This bipartisan effort is a step in the right direction toward abolishing an inherently un-American practice.

The legislation, sponsored by Representatives Tim Walberg (R., Mich.), Jamie B. Raskin (D., Md.), and others, would impose meaningful limits on federal civil asset forfeiture, the practice that permits law-enforcement agencies to seize innocent Americans’ personal property — from cars to cash to homes and businesses — on the mere suspicion that the items were involved in criminal activity. Once the property is seized, owners are tasked with navigating a byzantine process, making it unlikely they ever will regain the stolen property.