No. 17-1091October Term 2018Decided Feb 20, 2019
Timbs v. Indiana
This case asked whether Indiana could seize Tyson Timbs’s $42,000 Land Rover through civil forfeiture after he used it to transport heroin, even though the vehicle was worth far more than the maximum criminal fine for his offense.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Feb 20, 2019
- What it's about
This case asked whether Indiana could seize Tyson Timbs’s $42,000 Land Rover through civil forfeiture after he used it to transport heroin, even though the vehicle was worth far more than the maximum criminal fine for his offense. The Supreme Court held that the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause applies to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Question presented
Whether the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated against the States under the Fourteenth Amendment.
- Case path
Supreme Court of Indiana / Decision released Feb 20, 2019
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided February 20, 2019
The Court released its decision on February 20, 2019 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology