Supporters of civil asset forfeiture reform hailed the passage of the amendments as a heartening development.
“It shows that Congress is engaged on these issues and that they’re doing these things the right way,” said Robert Everett Johnson, an attorney for the libertarian public interest law firm Institute for Justice, in an interview with HuffPost. “Congress is speaking with one voice, unanimously repudiating [Sessions’] policy change and unanimously saying there needs to be reform here.”
The Institute for Justice supports abolishing civil forfeiture altogether, and believes property should only be forfeited in connection with a criminal conviction. With Tuesday’s votes showing sweeping opposition to the practice, Johnson is hopeful that more ambitious action will come next.
“This is a great first step toward civil forfeiture reform, but at the same time, it just puts us back to where we were two months ago,” said Johnson. “What Congress really needs to do is take up the cause of broader reform.”
“It shows that Congress is engaged on these issues and that they’re doing these things the right way,” said Robert Everett Johnson, an attorney for the libertarian public interest law firm Institute for Justice, in an interview with HuffPost. “Congress is speaking with one voice, unanimously repudiating [Sessions’] policy change and unanimously saying there needs to be reform here.”
The Institute for Justice supports abolishing civil forfeiture altogether, and believes property should only be forfeited in connection with a criminal conviction. With Tuesday’s votes showing sweeping opposition to the practice, Johnson is hopeful that more ambitious action will come next.
“This is a great first step toward civil forfeiture reform, but at the same time, it just puts us back to where we were two months ago,” said Johnson. “What Congress really needs to do is take up the cause of broader reform.”
