“An excessive fine doesn’t just rob you of money; it robs you of time. Fewer mornings at the breakfast table with kids or grandkids. More hours on the phone with attorneys, worried about losing your home or business.”

– Steven D. Anderson, President & CEO of Pacific Legal Foundation

what’s inside

Due Process

Family Farm Fined for Watering Potatoes

Joseph Kast

Allison Daniel

Robin and Ron Fodé can pinpoint the date and exact time the troubles began for their family-owned farm of over 40 years. It was February 14, 2017, at 3:30 in the afternoon. Valentine’s Day.

Due Process

California Architect Faces Charges for Conceptual Drawing

Nicole W.C. Yeatman

Jeffrey Hagen destroyed no buildings. He harmed no one. His offense, according to the State of Nevada, is submitting design drawings.

Property Rights

Coastal Commission Fines Homeowner $2.5 Million Over Gates

Jeremy Talcott

The long report was a recommendation to commissioners: to fine John Levy, a Carlsbad homeowner, $2.5 million over two locked gates. A hearing was thirteen days away.

Equality & Opportunity

Family Vineyard Fined $4 Million for Hosting Tastings

Jessica Wills

Lindsay Hoopes is a small business owner facing nearly $4 million in fines for hosting wine tastings. At her licensed winery.

Housing

She was in the hospital. The fines kept running.

Brittany Hunter

Sandra Hoopes stared at the piece of paper in her hands, transfixed by the numbers glaring back at her. Six hundred thousand dollars.

America 250

Stories of liberty and justice

Sword&Scales is a quarterly magazine with in-depth stories about liberty, equality, and justice. Published by Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm with a winning record at the Supreme Court, Sword&Scales features narratives from history, courtroom showdowns, and the real experiences of people fighting for their rights.

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