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• Lucy Steigerwald in The American Conservative:

“Since when is the U.S. justice system more about restitution than punishment?”

Last week, Mr. Sessions announced that civil asset forfeiture was back, and writers from the left and the right recoiled. Ms. Steigerwald, who writes from a libertarian perspective, outlines her objections to what Mr. Sessions has called a “key tool” for law enforcement. She explains how the policy’s “fundamental problem” is that it allows the police to seize property from people who have not yet been convicted or charged with a crime. Read more »

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• Andrew C. McCarthy in National Review:

“Sessions erred in the rashness and overbreadth of his recusal from the Russia investigation, but the president has himself to blame for the appointment of a special counsel.”

Mr. McCarthy agrees with the president that Mr. Sessions’s recusal was premature and overly broad, but that’s where the agreement ends. Mr. Trump’s mishandling of James B. Comey’s ouster as F.B.I. director, along with his decision to appoint Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, were ultimately two decisions that have led the president to his current predicament. Moreover, Mr. McCarthy notes that Mr. Rosenstein may have political reasons to give Robert Mueller’s investigation “limitless jurisdiction.” Read more »

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