Task: songer_direct1

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals.
Your task is to determine the ideological directionality of the court of appeals decision, coded as "liberal" or "conservative". Consider liberal to be for government tax claim; for person claiming patent or copyright infringement; for the plaintiff alleging the injury; for economic underdog if one party is clearly an underdog in comparison to the other, neither party is clearly an economic underdog; in cases pitting an individual against a business, the individual is presumed to be the economic underdog unless there is a clear indication in the opinion to the contrary; for debtor or bankrupt; for government or private party raising claim of violation of antitrust laws, or party opposing merger; for the economic underdog in private conflict over securities; for individual claiming a benefit from government; for government in disputes over government contracts and government seizure of property; for government regulation in government regulation of business; for greater protection of the environment or greater consumer protection (even if anti-government); for the injured party in admiralty - personal injury; for economic underdog in admiralty and miscellaneous economic cases. Consider the directionality to be "mixed" if the directionality of the decision was intermediate to the extremes defined above or if the decision was mixed (e.g., the conviction of defendant in a criminal trial was affirmed on one count but reversed on a second count or if the conviction was afirmed but the sentence was reduced). Consider "not ascertained" if the directionality could not be determined or if the outcome could not be classified according to any conventional outcome standards.

OPINION
Before DUNIWAY, HUFSTEDLER and CHOY, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
This is an appeal from a judgment forfeiting the appellant’s automobile under 21 U.S.C. § 881. The appeal raises three issues: (1) Was the evidence sufficient to prove that the vehicle was used to facilitate the sale of a controlled substance? (2) Do 21 U.S.C. § 881 and 19 U.S.C. § 1615 unconstitutionally impose upon the claimant the burden of proof after the Government proves probable cause to forfeit? (3) Must the Government prove probable cause by clear and convincing evidence?
The evidence amply proved that this automobile was used by one Bautista (not the claimant) to further every aspect of the heroin transaction for which Bautista was convicted, except the physical transportation of the contraband. The Government informant paid him for the heroin while both were in the automobile. With exceptions not here pertinent, a vehicle which is used to transport contraband is subject to forfeiture, but the statute does not limit forfeiture to transportation situations. Rather, it subjects to forfeiture all vehicles “which are used, or are intended for use, to transport, or in any manner to facilitate the transportation, sale, receipt, possession, or concealment of” controlled substances. (21 U.S.C. § 881 (a)(4).) This automobile was used to help the sale of the contraband; it was not used merely to commute to the scene of criminal activity. (Contrast Howard v. United States (9th Cir. 1970) 423 F.2d 1102.) Accordingly, the evidence was sufficient to establish that the vehicle was used “to facilitate the . sale” of contraband within the meaning of 21 U.S.C. § 881(a)(4). (United States v. One 1950 Chevrolet 4-Door Sedan (10th Cir. 1954) 215 F.2d 482, 484; see Howard v. United States, supra, 423 F.2d at 1103.)
Appellant’s constitutional attack on 21 U.S.C. § 881 and 19 U.S.C. § 1615 is mounted on the premise that forfeiture statutes are essentially criminal; therefore, the shifting of the burden of proof to the claimant denies him due process. Forfeiture statutes are deemed criminal for the purpose of protecting rights secured by the Fourth and Fifth Amendments (Boyd v. United States (1886) 116 U.S. 616, 6 S.Ct. 524, 29 L.Ed. 746), but they are predominantly civil. Despite some dicta attacking their civil characterization (United States v. United States Coin and Currency (1971) 401 U.S. 715, 719-20, 91 S.Ct. 1041, 28 L.Ed.2d 434), the Supreme Court has firmly refused to broaden the criminal aspect of forfeiture so as to encompass a wider range of constitutional protections. (Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co. (1974) 416 U.S. 663, 94 S.Ct. 2080, 40 L.Ed.2d 452; One Lot Emerald Cut Stones and One Ring v. United States (1972) 409 U.S. 232, 93 S.Ct. 489, 34 L.Ed.2d 438. Accord: Bramble v. Richardson (10th Cir. 1974) 498 F.2d 968; United States v. Mendoza (5th Cir. 1973) 473 F.2d 692.) Accordingly, we conclude that the challenged forfeiture statutes are not criminal enough to prevent Congress from imposing the burden of proof on the claimant, and we uphold the constitutionality of 21 U.S.C. § 881 and 19 U.S.C. § 1615.
Finally, appellant argues that the Government has to prove probable cause by clear and convincing evidence, rather than by a lesser standard of persuasiveness. We do not reach this question because the district court stated that “the government has shown, by clear and convincing evidence, that the vehicle here involved was used to facilitate the sale of heroin.” Assuming, arguendo, that the Government’s evidence must be more than ordinarily persuasive, the district court concluded that the higher standard had been met. The record provides no basis for disturbing the district court’s assessment of the strength of the evidence.
Affirmed.

Question: What is the ideological directionality of the court of appeals decision?
A. conservative
B. liberal
C. mixed
D. not ascertained
Answer:

Answer: B