Marvin Horne Defeated Raisin Seizure

Beginning in 2002, a California raisin farmer named Marvin Horne and his wife, Laura Horne, refused to surrender part of their crop to a federal raisin reserve program. The program required growers to provide 47 percent of their raisins in 2002 and 30 percent the following year without guaranteed payment to restrict supply and stabilize prices. The USDA sued the Hornes for $695,226 in raisin value, penalties, and unpaid assessments, sending the dispute to the Supreme Court twice. In 2015, the Court ruled that the requirement constituted a physical taking under the Fifth Amendment and relieved the Hornes of the assessment.

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