Clarence Thomas in Government Bullies, by Senator Rand Paul (R, KY)

On Welfare & Poverty: Public Use Clause limits government's eminent domain power

Susette Kelo owned a house in New London, CT. In 1998, the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer began construction on a new plant in New London. Pfizer convinced the city that it deserved the land in Kelo's neighborhood more than she and her neighbors did. The city utilized its power of eminent domain, which enables the local government to take private property and designate it for public use. Though Kelo was compensated, the government seized her property in the name of "local economic development."

The Supreme Court ruled in the favor of the City of New London, a dangerous landmark decision in US law.

In his dissenting opinion, Justice Thomas wrote: "The Public Use Clause is a meaningful limit on the government's eminent domain power. So- called "urban renewal" programs provide some compensation for the properties they take, but no compensation is possible for the subjective value of these lands to the individuals displaced and the indignity inflicted by uprooting them from their homes."

Source: Government Bullies, by Rand Paul, p. 78-79 Sep 12, 2012

The above quotations are from Government Bullies How Everyday Americans Are Being Harrassed, Abused, And Imprisoned by the Feds by Rand Paul. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of Clarence Thomas. Click here for Clarence Thomas on all issues.
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Page last updated: Dec 28, 2013