Free Republic

Kelo Backlash Could Lead to Restoration of Property Rights Lost to Smart Growth and Eminent Domain Abuses by Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was right when she wrote in her dissent to Kelo vs. City of New London that now “the specter of condemnation hangs over all property.”[1] She was also quite correct to note that the decision undermines an important Constitutional protection that all Americans had taken for granted over the past two centuries. When the 13 states voted to adopt the Constitution in 1791, they appended to the original document ten amendments guaranteeing...

Congress lashed out at the Supreme Court yesterday for expanding government powers of eminent domain and vowed to ban any federal funds for state and local governments that employ the new authority. ***snip*** In response, a bipartisan group of senators and House members joined yesterday in introducing legislation that will withhold federal funding from any state or local government that tries to use those expanded powers. "The Supreme Court voted last week to undo private property rights and to empower governments to kick people out of their homes and give them to someone else because they feel like it," said...