Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2015
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2015 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Bill Bach

A CLEAR CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION

In the Feb. 12 Fed Page article "House panelists say changes are 
needed to end civil forfeiture abuses," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee 
(D-Tex.) said, "It is increasingly apparent that our laws are not 
sufficient" to protect individuals.

One would think that the Fourth and Fifth amendments of the 
Constitution, with their unambiguous language about the need for 
warrants and due process, would clearly render the whole concept of 
civil forfeiture unconstitutional.

We need a Congress willing to repeal these laws or a judiciary 
willing to uphold the Constitution by declaring such laws in conflict 
with the property rights defined in the Constitution and, therefore, invalid.

Bill Bach, Darnestown
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom