There are plenty of stories about the abuse of eminent domain law,
in which government seizes land from a private owner in order to
redevelop it to grow an area’s tax base. Writing in Freedom Daily,
George Leef described the import of the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court
ruling in a much-publicized case: Kelo vs. City of New London. “For
many homeowners, eminent domain is merely a fancy term for legal
mugging,” he explained. Those who want eminent domain law to be used
only within its constitutional boundaries (public uses where just
compensation is paid) are hoping the amicus curiae brief offered by the
Cato Institute and the University of Chicago’s Richard Epstein will
sway the court in the right direction. “To listen to local politicians,
you’d think that stealing land and then handing it over to favored
businesses is the only conceivable way to “revitalize” a city,” Leef
wrote.