from the Institute for Justice

Friends:

Today marks six years since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its disastrous decision in Kelo v. City of New London.  By radically altering the traditional meaning of “public use”—parks, schools, and roads—to include “economic development,” a mere one-vote majority of the Court gave bureaucrats license to take homes and small businesses at their leisure.  Now property can be seized from its rightful owners on the mere promise of increased tax revenue or jobs.

This decision sanctioned an unholy alliance between greedy local governments and wealthy developers.  As former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor so appropriately wrote in her dissent, “The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.”

While we suffered a setback in this battle, we steeled ourselves for the fight ahead—and we’re winning the war.

Together with you, our activists, we ignited a property rights revolution nationwide that has resulted in 43 states reforming their eminent domain laws to better protect home, small business and farm owners.  IJ has worked alongside home and business owners to save over 16,000 properties from eminent domain abuse.  From San Pablo, California, to Auburn, New York, we have successfully defeated projects that threatened the private property of hard-working Americans.

You have played an integral role in this national backlash against Kelo.  Without the tireless efforts of activists like you, these successes would not have been possible.  Yet we must press forward.  Together we must urge our elected officials to respect the private property rights of their citizens.  Thank you for continuing to stand on the frontlines with us in the fight to end eminent domain abuse.

To thank you for your continued commitment, we are including a FREE "End Eminent Domain Abuse" t-shirt with every purchase from our Freedom Market.  Visit fmarket.ij.org to get yours today!  Enjoy!

Best,

Christina Walsh
Director of Activism and Coalitions
Institute for Justice
901 N. Glebe Road, Suite 900
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 682-9320
(703)-682-9321 (fax)
www.ij.org
www.castlecoalition.org
Twitter: @ChristinaWalsh
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