Here’s the second of two amicus briefs filed in support of the petitioner in the judicial takings case we mentioned last week. This brief, filed by beverage distributors, who although they are respondents, urged the Supreme Court to take the case.
The brief argues that “Connecticut reached backwards in time to target and sweep a few private bank accounts into the general Treasury just because ‘the legislature wanted as much money as possible’ to redress a general budget deficit.” Brief at 1. “the Connecticut Supreme Court held that this retroactive seizure was not a taking because the distributors’ funds ceased being their property even before the funds were confiscated, at the moment the funds were deposited into special segregated acccounts. That court’s re-writing of Connecticut property law ‘contravene[d] the established property rights of’ the beverage distributors and thereby effected a taking.” Id. at 1-2 (emphasis original).
We’ll post the BIO when available. Follow along on the Court’s docket report here.