The legal system has not narrowly interpreted the Bill of Rights. For example, the First Amendment has been construed to preclude lots of restrictions on conduct that is not literally &quot;speech.&quot; Everything from contraception to abortion to gay marriage has become a &quot;right&quot; even though nobody can point to the specific amendment that guarantees it.<p>In the case of civil asset forfeiture, central to the Supreme Court&#x27;s upholding of those laws was the fact that laws providing for civil forfeiture of contraband property were passed by the First Congress.