The California raisin grab

摘要

Marvin Horne, a raisin grower in Fresno, California, is apparently the first family farmer to have his case accepted twice by America's Supreme Court. Horne v US Department of Agriculture, which the justices re-heard on April 22nd (having previously ruled that a lower court could not duck hearing it) challenges a rule dating back to 1937. The rule requires raisin farmers to hand over a share of their crop to the government, which may or may not pay for it. For nearly three decades, Mr Home and his wife Laura complied. But just over a decade ago they rebelled and were hit with fines of nearly $700,000. In 2003-04 they would have had to fork over 30% of their crop and receive nothing in return. To them, this looked like theft.