The US Supreme Court's June 23, 2005 decision in Kelo et. al. v City of New London, Connecticut has put a burr under the saddle of legislators from Washington, D.C. to California.

Kelo v New London upheld the right of that Connecticut city to take, under the right of eminent domain, property in its Fort Trumbull neighborhood to enable construction of a large development containing a hotel and conference center, private residences, shopping and restaurants, a marina, offices and research facilities. The project is ancillary to an otherwise unrelated research park recently constructed for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. The 'condemned' area was largely residential and in no way blighted or crime ridden, conditions which, under a much earlier Supreme Court decision, was ruled as justification for taking property to further develop or improve for the public good.

Publish Date: 07/25/2005