The Supreme Court voted 6–3 on May 9 to uphold the legal process used to forfeit two Alabama women’s cars that were used to commit drug offenses, finding that the U.S. Constitution does not require a separate hearing to determine whether the police may retain the car before the forfeiture hearing.
The decision not to strengthen property rights moves away from recent rulings of the conservative-leaning court on so-called home equity theft and excessive fines, which have bolstered individual property rights and reined in government power.
