The King's Riches
December, 1998
The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution reads: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." This past summer, for the first time, the Supreme Court defined "excessive" as it pertains to the imposition of criminal fines.The case before the Court, U.S. vs. Bajakajian, began in 1994, when Customs agents seized $357,144 in cash from a Los Angeles resident traveling with his family through LAX on the way to Cypr...
