Scott Bullock
Born
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
EducationGrove City College (BA)
University of Pittsburgh (JD)
OccupationCivil rights attorney
AwardsDrum Major for Justice Award (2002)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

Scott G. Bullock is an American lawyer who focuses on property rights issues such as eminent domain and civil forfeiture.[2][3] He has been president and General Counsel at the Institute for Justice since 2016,[4] a nonprofit libertarian public interest law firm.[2] He represented Susette Kelo in Kelo v. City of New London, an eminent domain case decided by the Supreme Court in 2005.[5] Bullock was a senior attorney before becoming the president of the institute and directed many cases on state and federal level.[6] In 1994 he represented the institute in a forum on C-SPAN.[7]

Education

Bullock was born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and grew up in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. in economics and philosophy from Grove City College and his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.[8] After an internship at the Cato Institute, Bullock joined the Institute for Justice at its founding in 1991.[8][7]

Career

Bullock was lead co-counsel in the 2005 Supreme Court case Kelo v. City of New London.[9] After the decision by the high court to allow the City of New London to seize the homes and businesses of current residences to make room for a "90-acre office, hotel, and housing complex", Bullock said that it was "a sad day for the country and a sad day for the Constitution."[9]

Bullock has also been successful in winning cases of lawsuits in New Jersey, Tennessee as well as in Mississippi.[10]

Bullock has advocated against government use of civil forfeiture.[11][12] He has said that when the police pull drivers over for minor traffic infractions and seize their cash, they do not "respect fundamental notions of due process."[13] He represented Russ Caswell when the police tried to seize Caswell's motel in Tewksbury, Massachusetts after incidents of illegal drug activity on the premises.[14][15]

He called the practice of equitable sharing, in which state and federal law enforcement share the proceeds of seized assets, a violation of federalism.[2] He has been involved in First Amendment and commercial speech cases. He is an advocate for parental rights.[16]

Bullock has shared his views on constitutional issues in publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal as well as in broadcast media such as 60 Minutes, ABC Nightly News, and National Public Radio.[8]

References

  1. ^ Kramer, John (May 20, 2002). "Institute for Justice Presented Top Civil Rights Award By MLK's Southern Christian Leadership Conference" (Press release). Institute for Justice.
  2. ^ a b c Radley Balko (July 31, 2014). "Rep. Tim Walberg introduces bill to curb asset forfeiture abuse". Washington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  3. ^ Bullock, Scott G. (August 2006). "IJ Attorney Scott Bullock Wins Koch Award". Institute for Justice. 15 (4).
  4. ^ "Scott Bullock: Wait, This Can Happen in America?". Archived from the original on 2020-01-15. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  5. ^ Charles Lane (February 23, 2005). "Defining Limits of Eminent Domain: High Court Weighs City's Claim to Land". Washington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2014. ...Page A06...Scott G. Bullock of the libertarian Institute for Justice, said that if New London, Conn., can use its power of eminent domain to force Susette Kelo and six other owners to sell...
  6. ^ Scott Bullock.
  7. ^ a b "Scott Bullock | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org.
  8. ^ a b c Scott G. Bullock, Institute for Justice, Retrieved Oct. 18, 2014
  9. ^ a b Warren Richey (June 24, 2005). "Court widens scope of property seizure: It rules 5 to 4 that local governments can take homes and other property for private development". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 18, 2014. ...Facing the wrecking ball are 15 homes and businesses owned by seven families... Scott Bullock, a lawyer with the Institute for Justice... "a sad day for the country and a sad day for the Constitution."...
  10. ^ "Scott Bullock | HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.ca.
  11. ^ Erin O'Neill (October 16, 2014). "'Piano Man' fighting state to save parents' Atlantic City house". nj.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014. ..."Unfortunately, local governments in New Jersey have been very aggressive about using eminent domain," said Scott Bullock, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice who represented a group of Long Branch homeowners ....
  12. ^ Joan Biskupic (September 28, 2004). "Justices take eminent-domain case". USA Today. Retrieved October 18, 2014. ...Scott Bullock, ...if the justices adopt the Connecticut court's reasoning, any home or small business could be condemned and replaced by a project that produces more tax revenue....
  13. ^ Robert O'Harrow Jr., Michael Sallah (September 8, 2014). "They fought the law. Who won?: Many drivers faced a long ordeal in court to try to get their money back from police". Washington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2014. ...Scott Bullock, senior attorney ... "It should not exist in a country that respects fundamental notions of due process."...
  14. ^ Emshwiller, John R.; Fields, Gary; Levitz, Jennifer (October 18, 2011). "Motel Is Latest Stopover in Federal Forfeiture Battle". Wall Street Journal.
  15. ^ Denise Lavoie (December 29, 2011). "Mass. budget motel fights forfeiture by feds". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 18, 2014. ...Caswell's lawyers s..Bullock argues that equitable sharing allows federal officials to circumvent state forfeiture laws...
  16. ^ Lyle Denniston (June 6, 2000). "Justices bolster parents' rights". The Baltimore Sun.

External links

Categories