House Votes on Eminent Domain: Black Hills (SD) Portal, 7/6/05

Stripping Home Owners of Property Rights Will not be Federally Funded in Spite of Supreme Court Ruling

By Family Research Council
Recently, the House voted to use the spending power of Congress to reign in a Supreme Court ruling in Kelo v. City of New London which strips the property rights of private citizens by granting the government power to seize private homes and transfer it to a private developer.

The House measure, which passed 231-189, denies federal money to any city or state project that used eminent domain to force people to sell their property to make way for more profitable private projects.

"The threat to freedom from the Kelo decision is very real. If a hostile government decides a shopping mall would produce a more profitable tax base than your family home or the family business then the government could grab that land for use by a private developer," says Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council.

"This instance is exactly why the President needs to promote judges to the Supreme Court who are for a fair judiciary. Allowing private interests to seize homes, non-profit organizations and other businesses is a distinct abuse of power and while, it might be economically beneficial to a specific community, this opportunity for private developers could spell disaster for families and local entrepreneurs."

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