Timbs v. Indiana

Brief Fact Summary.

Tyson Timbs pleaded guilty for dealing in a controlled substance in Indiana state court. The State of Indiana brought a civil suit for forfeiture of Timbs’ vehicle, which Timbs had used to transport heroin. The trial court rejected the State’s request for forfeiture because forfeiture would be grossly disproportionate to the gravity of Timbs’ offense and thus unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment.

Facts.

Tyson Timbs, the petitioner, pleaded guilty for dealing in a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit theft in Indiana state court. The trial court’s sentence required Timbs to pay fees and costs totaling $1,203. When Timbs was arrested, the police seized his vehicle, which Timbs had bought for $42,000. The State of Indiana brought a civil suit for forfeiture of Timbs’ vehicle, which Timbs had used to transport heroin. The trial court rejected the State’s request of forfeiture because the amount Timbs paid for his vehicle was more than four times the maximum $10,000 monetary fine assessable against him for his drug conviction. The court found that forfeiture would be grossly disproportionate to the gravity of Timbs’ offense and thus unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause.

Issue.

Is the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause an “incorporated” protection applicable to the States under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause?

Held.

Yes. The Eighth Amendment that prohibits “cruel and excessive punishment” and “excessive bail” protects against excessive fines and guards against abuses of government’s punitive or criminal-law-enforcement authority. This safeguard is “fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty” with deep roots in this Nation’s history and tradition. Thus, the Excessive Fine Clause in the Eighth Amendment is incorporated into the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

Concurrence.

Justice Thomas

The Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause is about “process” and has nothing to do with substantive right such as the right to be protected against excessive fines. Instead, the right stems from one of the privileges and immunities of U.S citizens protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Discussion.

The Excessive Fines Clause traces its history back to 1215, when Magna Carta required that economic sanctions “be proportioned to the wrong” and not be excessive so as to deprive an offender of his livelihood. The familiar language was also adopted in similar colonial-era provisions. By the time of the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, 35 state constitutions out of 37 expressly prohibited excessive fines and acknowledgement of the right’s fundamental nature has persisted until today. Importantly, permitting excessive fines may undermine other constitutional liberties. For instance, they can be used to retaliate against the speech of political opponents or in other ways not consistent with the penal goals of retribution and deterrence.