Seizing castles
With Thursday’s Supreme Court decision, Freeport officials instructed attorneys to begin preparing legal documents to seize three pieces of waterfront property along the Old Brazos River from two seafood companies for construction of an $8 million private boat marina.
The court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that cities may bulldoze people’s homes or businesses to make way for shopping malls or other private development. The decision gives local governments broad power to seize private property to generate tax revenue.
Better watch what land you buy . . . the city might want it.
(via the Volokh Conspiracy)
June 27, 2005 at 7:39 pm
Pathetic. It’s like the Mugabe regime at the other extreme.
June 28, 2005 at 10:21 am
Did you read the opinion?
June 28, 2005 at 11:05 am
No not yet. I mean to do it at some point, but I got some stuff to square away first. My guess is that it isn’t that bad and probably just an extension of the previous precedents that many probably would find disconcerting anyway (e.g. being able to exercise eminent domain the property was a public nuisance).