Austin v. United States
1993 United States Supreme Court case
Austin v. United States, 509 U.S. 602 (1993), was an Supreme Court case in 1993 where the Supreme Court decided that the Eighth Amendment includes the government seizing property as punishment.
| Austin v. United States | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued April 20, 1993 Decided June 28, 1993 | |
| Full case name | Austin v. United States |
| Docket nos. | 92-6073 |
| Citations | 509 U.S. 602 (more) 113 S. Ct. 2801; 125 L. Ed. 2d 488 |
| Prior history | United States v. One Parcel of Prop. Located at 508 Depot St., 964 F.2d 814 (8th Cir. 1992); cert. granted, 506 U.S. 1074 (1993). |
| Holding | |
| Forfeiture under §§881(a)(4) and (a)(7) is a monetary punishment and, as such, is subject to the limitations of the Excessive Fines Clause. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Blackmun, joined by White, Stevens, O’Connor, Souter |
| Concurrence | Scalia |
| Concurrence | Kennedy, joined by Rehnquist, Thomas |
Details
changeRichard Lyle Austin was accused of violating the drug laws of South Dakota. He admitted to having cocaine and wanting to give it to others. The United States told him to turn over his car shop. Austin said that the government doing that was a violation of the part of the 8th Amendment that says fines can't be too much. Austin won the case.