Can we agree on something?

Probably not, at least not all of us.

But I am heartened by a unanimous Supreme Court decision reiterating the constitutional prohibition against excessive fines:

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that the Constitution’s ban on excessive fines applies to punishments imposed by the states as well as by the federal government.

The decision, announced in court and written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was a victory for an Indiana man, Tyson Timbs, whose expensive Land Rover sport utility vehicle was confiscated after he pleaded guilty to selling heroin to undercover police officers.

Although the Eighth Amendment bans excessive fines, the Supreme Court had never before explicitly said that it applies to the states. The Indiana Supreme Court, ruling against Timbs, held that it did not.

Wednesday’s ruling removed any lingering doubt.

“The protection against excessive fines guards against abuses of government’s punitive or criminal law enforcement authority,” Ginsburg wrote, finding that the safeguard “is fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty.”

Good for the Supremes! And while I wish this might have happened sooner, I’m glad they’re unanimous.