In Episode 30 of Deep Dive, we talked about how fines for harmless property code violations could snowball into six-figure debt. All too often, municipalities set up these “taxation by citation” schemes to bolster city budgets—not protect public health and safety. Schemes like this are rife with due process problems, and in today’s episode, we discuss the way Kafka-esqe code enforcement systems in many cities make it very easy to incur ever increasing amounts of fines and fees—while erecting barriers that make it very difficult to challenge them. We’ll also talk about what the Constitution means when it guarantees due process and IJ’s legal strategy for tackling abusive fines and fees regimes.

Recent Episodes

Insane Political Retaliation in Arizona

When an Arizona educator named “Fernie” Madrid ran for Apache County School Superintendent he had no idea it would lead to stalking, anonymous threatening letters, […]

Listen Now

Why is it ILLEGAL to Sell This Box?

Candi Mentink and Todd Collard sell personalized caskets to honor the deceased person’s unique life. They can ship these caskets almost anywhere in the world, […]

Listen Now