Click Here For Jeff Jacoby: The abusers of eminent domain

Jeff Jacoby: The abusers of eminent domain: "In case after case, owners have lost their homes or businesses to politically-wired companies that convinced local officials to take it for them through eminent domain. In Topeka, Kan., owners were forced off their property so that Target could build a huge distribution center. In Nevada, the Las Vegas Redevelopment Authority condemned Carol Pappas' commercial building so that a group of casinos could put up a parking garage. In Norwood, Ohio, five owners are being stripped of their property so that a real-estate mogul can develop a $125 million office-retail complex.

These examples are drawn from scores compiled by the Institute for Justice, the public interest law firm that has become a leading champion of property owners threatened by abusive eminent domain.

Three years ago I wrote about the institute's efforts in New London, Conn., where city officials, in concert with the Pfizer pharmaceutical giant, were aggressively using eminent domain to clear a vast swath of land along the Thames River. Their goal was to replace the homes and shops in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood with more profitable development: a hotel, a conference center, a marina. The Institute for Justice got involved on behalf of Susette Kelo, Matt Dery, and a handful of other residents who didn't think they should have to give up their homes -- in some cases, the only homes they have ever known -- just so Pfizer could enjoy a new hotel and New London could collect more taxes."