Farm Bureau Calls for Legislation to Block Eminent Domain Laws
Farm Bureau was outraged when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled private property can be confiscated by local government entities for private economic development projects.
| “No one’s home, or farm and ranch land, is safe from government seizure because of this ruling.” – American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman |
Farm Bureau has been a champion of the rights of property owners during its nearly 90 years of existence, and was incensed by the June 2005 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Kelo v. The City of New London, Conn. It was a sucker punch against private land owners.
According to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling:
- Governments can seize private property from individuals to boost a community’s economic development.
- Seized property can be handed over to private developers.
- Property seized does not need to be blighted for condemnation to occur.
- It is not necessary for final land use to be for public services (roadways, utilities, government buildings, etc.).
It Could Happen to You
As Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in her dissent to the ruling:
“All private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be upgraded. The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent [local governments] from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.”
State Law is the Key
Private citizens have the power to keep government from taking their land and turning it over to the highest bidder. State law can override local law and be more restrictive than how Kelo interpreted the U.S. Constitution in this situation. Farm Bureau is leading the fight locally and nationally!
The Supreme Court ruling in Kelo v. Th e City of New London, Conn. left in place the potential for states to enact their own eminent-domain-limiting legislation. A handful of states do restrict the use of eminent domain to strictly public-use projects, banning government condemnation authority solely for economic development.
