Excellent news. A small, but important victory in civil rights and due process.

"The New Mexico state legislature passed a groundbreaking bill Saturday to abolish civil asset forfeiture.

Now Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who will likely get attention as a potential 2016 vice presidential candidate, will have the bill on her desk.

Civil asset forfeiture is a practice where police can take and keep your property without convicting or even charging you of a crime. Then, you must go through the arduous and often unsuccessful process to get your property–whether it’s a vehicle, cash or your home–back from the police.

New Mexico police must now convict you of a crime and prove your property was used in the crime before you forfeit it to the authorities. Also, the money gained from the property will now go to the state’s general fund instead of police budgets, so that police do not have incentives to take from citizens."

http://dailycaller.com/2015/03/21/breaki...set-forfeiture/