The Supreme Court opened the door Monday for California raisin growers to challenge the constitutionality of a Depression-era farming law that requires them to keep part of their annual crop off the market.
In a 9-0 ruling, the justices cleared the way for Marvin and Laura Horne from Fresno to argue that this “mandatory reserve” program takes away their private property without just compensation.
“This is America, not a communist state,” they said upon filing their suit. They cited years in which producers were required to send 47% and 30% of their crop to a “reserve pool” controlled by a government-sponsored marketing board.
LA Times, 6/10/13. At ScotusBlog, Lyle Dennison ponders whether the ruling will have a much greater impact in "Much more than raisins?"