A group of New Hampshire activists is trying to get the state to take over Supreme Court Justive David Souter's house so they can convert it into a hotel under the auspices of the new eminent domain doctrine that Souter voted to support. Under the new doctrine, eminent domain can be used to take private property not only for public use but also for private development.
I hope they succeed in taking Souter's house away. Justice would be well served.
1 comment:
The decision was correct. The court did not want to micro-manage where the line between public and private uses falls. So they just said the government can do whatever they want. It's up to local, state and federal laws to constrain emminent domain. That's what democracy is all about. Many states have passed laws to restrict when your property can be taken. In some places, they've said the government must pay 3X the assessed value of your property. See? Democracy sometimes works.
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