CHICAGO (CN) — A class of Chicago drivers maintained to a skeptical three-judge panel Wednesday morning that the city of Chicago’s impoundment program violates their constitutional rights.
Chicago’s impoundment program grants the city the right to seize and hold vehicles it believes have been used in connection with a wide variety of crimes, from drug possession to obstructing a funeral procession. Even if the owner of the car did not commit the crime that necessitated the seizure, owners must pay a penalty to get their car back, which varies from $500 to $3,000.
The class maintains Chicago’s policy violates the 14th Amendment’s due process clause, the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee against unreasonable seizures and the Eighth Amendment’s protection from unreasonable fines…