by Steve Klein  The most recent reports from the Wyoming Attorney General to the Legislature that I discussed in a recent post paint a detailed but incomplete picture of cash seizures under the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act from 2018 through 2022. This is part of a practice called civil forfeiture, which permits the government to seize and...

We're thrilled to share that the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has recognized our recent publication, shedding light on Wyoming's civil forfeiture laws. CEI's acknowledgment underscores the significance of our efforts for justice and transparency. Dive into the details by visiting the link and explore how our work is making a meaningful im...

by Steve Klein In the 2024 Budget Session, a bipartisan group of legislators sponsored a "Freedom from government seizure act" that was largely an updated version of a bill that passed in 2015 to replace civil forfeiture under the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act with criminal forfeiture. If either bill became law, prosecutors in the Wyoming Attor...

Join us in this enlightening episode of the "Eye on the Issues" series, brought to you by the Wyoming Liberty Group. In Episode 051, we dive deep into the complex world of civil forfeiture with attorney Steve Klein.  Civil forfeiture laws have long been a topic of debate, allowing law enforcement agencies across the U.S., including Wyoming, to...

by Steve Klein Ten years ago, Wyoming Liberty Group published my paper Reforming Civil Asset Forfeiture in Wyoming. The paper detailed how the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act permitted police to seize property—including cash, cars, and firearms—on mere suspicion it was related to drug trafficking, without convicting or even charging the owner wit...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The Supreme Court recently delivered a landmark decision regarding the constitutionality of civil asset forfeiture as it applies to the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Civil Asset Forfeiture is a mechanism law enforcement agencies use to seize property which they determine as associated with...

by Stephen Klein Wyoming's reform of civil asset forfeiture, which passed unanimously in the 2016 Budget Session, went into effect on July 1. Already, the reform has lived up to its name, which is illustrated by comparing two cash seizure cases—one that began before the reform, and one after. Asset forfeiture is a process by which law enforcement s...

by Stephen Klein On Wednesday the Joint Judiciary Committee of the Wyoming Legislature voted to adopt a committee bill to reform civil asset forfeiture under the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act ("WCSA"). The law as it exists today allows Wyoming police to seize and the state to keep ("forfeit") property that they suspect is related to the drug tr...

by Stephen Klein In the 2015 Wyoming Legislative Session, Senate File 14, or Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1), would have overhauled Wyoming's drug forfeiture laws to require a felony conviction before alleged drug property (cash, cars, firearms and the like) could be permanently taken by the state. The bill passed the Wyoming Legislature with an init...

by Stephen Klein CHEYENNE – The Wyoming House of Representatives passed Senate File 14 today with a vote of 54-6, which follows the Senate's passing vote of 26-3 (1 excused) on January 23. The bill would amend the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act to end the practice of civil forfeiture by requiring an individual to be convicted of a drug felony be...