Raisin Hell

The Supreme Court issued its decisions this morning, and it was silent on both the Obamacare and gay marriage cases.  The next time there will be any decisions is Thursday morning.  The Court did decide some cases today, however.  The most important is Horne v. the Department of Agriculture in which the Justices considered the constitutionality of the country's Raisin Marketing Board.  Most people are not even aware that the federal government controls the price of raisins in the USA by taking a percentage of the crop each year (something like 40%).  One of the growers refused to turn over his raisins a few years ago, and the feds fined him roughly half a million dollars because of it.  The grower sued on the basis that what the government did was the equivalent of taking control of all those raisins without offering compensation as required by the Constitution.

The Supreme Court held that the government conduct constituted a taking without due compensation which is prohibited by the Constitution.  The basic vote was 8-1 although the majority did disagree a bit on just how to calculate the required compensation.

This case may sound unimportant.  After all, who cares all that much what raisins cost?  The truth, however, is that the case is yet another blow in the battle to prevent the government from becoming all powerful.  The government cannot control the raisin market without paying those who are injured by such action.  Individual rights triumphed over the power of the government.