Kelo v. New London: Today’s the day
Today, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Kelo v. New London, which is arguably the most important property rights case in recent years. The Post Gazette has two articles on the issue. The first notes:
It has been 50 years since the U.S. Supreme Court adopted an expansive view of the power of eminent domain in the case of Berman v. Parker, in which it upheld the condemnation of private property by the federal government as part of an urban renewal plan in the District of Columbia.
The other notes the confidence of one of the people involved in Kelo:
“How could we possibly lose this?” Von Winkle said in an interview. “You can’t do what they’re doing. If Pfizer wants property, they’ve got to buy it, not steal it.”
At issue is whether or not the .gov can take property from one person and transfer ownership to another private entity in the name of public use, which has very recently been bastardized to mean public good. A ruling for the property owners would be great and the right thing to do. A ruling against will likely mean the end of property rights as we know them. Seriously.
