WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday reinforced the power of law enforcement authorities to retain seized property belonging to people not charged with a crime, ruling in favor of Alabama officials who were sued by two women whose cars were held for more than a year.
In a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, the justices affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of the lawsuits by the two plaintiffs, who were denied prompt hearings to reclaim vehicles seized by police in crimes committed by other people.
The three liberal justices in a dissent called the majority’s reasoning “deeply flawed,” and a libertarian legal group called the ruling a major blow to private property rights.
The case involved the legal process that innocent property owners are due under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. At issue was whether preliminary hearings – opportunities that may allow owners to regain their property more quickly than a different process known as a forfeiture hearing – are necessary to fulfill constitutional due process requirements.