Colorado Department of Labor and Employment v. Dami Hospitality, LLC

JUSTICE HART delivered the Opinion of the Court.

¶1 This case requires us to consider whether the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on the government imposition of "excessive fines" applies to fines levied on corporations. 1 We conclude that the purpose of the Excessive Fines Clause is to prevent the government from abusing its power to punish by imposing fines, and nothing in that purpose or in the text of the Eighth Amendment limits its reach to fines imposed on individuals. We further conclude that the proper test to assess the constitutionality of government fines under the Eighth Amendment…