Civil Liberties

Meanwhile, innocent citizens get caught in the yo yo law. damn.



............After Holder banned the Justice Department from adopting local seizures — with exceptions for joint federal-local investigations and gun and child porn crimes — such cases declined sharply, according to Justice Department data analyzed by the Institute for Justice, hitting a low of about $4.9 million in 2017.

But that year, Sessions issued a directive reviving the practice.

In 2018, the amount forfeited by the Justice Department through adoptions not connected to a joint operation crept up to $19.6 million, according to the institute. It fell slightly, to $16.5 million, in 2019, the last year for which the institute says there is reliable data.

Lara sued the Nevada Highway Patrol over the seizure on Tuesday and filed a court motion asking the DEA to give his money back, saying it was taken without probable cause as part of a program that incentivizes such conduct.

Hottot said he received an email about 8:53 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday notifying him DEA planned to return the money. But he said the lawsuit would continue.

“This is a standard tactic that the federal government uses to try to prevent people from challenging the constitutionality of their cash cow,” Hottot said...................