Eminent Domain Research Reports
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Expropriation in Puerto Rico
In a new report (released August 6), the Institute for Justice (IJ) gives Puerto Rico’s eminent domain laws a grade of “F.” IJ is a nonprofit, civil liberties law firm dedicated to ending eminent domain…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Comment on Carpenter and Ross (2009): Eminent Domain and Equity—A Reply
In this report, Director of Strategic Research Dick Carpenter responds to commentary on his article about the effects of eminent domain on poor and minority communities. Suggested citation: Carpenter, D. M.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Do restrictions on eminent domain harm economic development?
After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in the Kelo decision the use of eminent domain for private-to-private transfer of property for economic development, public outrage was followed by attempts to restrict such use of eminent domain. Opponents…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Five Years After Kelo
On June 23, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision called Kelo v. City of New London,[1] ruled that private economic development is a public use under the Fifth Amendment…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Little Pink House
Before there were Tea Parties, there was Kelo. Susette Kelo’s name turned into a movement. Her loss of her property was the final straw for Americans in 2005. When they heard about the Kelo decision,…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Empire State Eminent Domain
An analysis of the populations living in areas of New York City under threat of condemnation for private development finds that such eminent domain abuse disproportionately targets those who are less well-off and less educated,…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Building Empires, Destroying Homes
New York is perhaps the worst state in the nation when it comes to eminent domain abuse. Government jurisdictions and agencies statewide have condemned or threatened to condemn homes and small businesses for the New…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Testing O’Connor and Thomas: Does eminent domain target poor and minority communities?
In dissenting from the US Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo decision upholding the use of eminent domain for private-to-private transfers of property, Justices O’Connor and Thomas asserted, based on the history of urban renewal, that eminent domain for…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
The Truth About Times Square
The former chairman and chief executive of New York state’s Urban Development Corporation reveals how Times Square succeeded for reasons that had little to do with government condemnation schemes and everything to do with public…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
They Want to Erase Us Out
This report documents how homes, farms and small businesses across Texas have been threatened by eminent domain for private gain.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Baltimore’s Flawed Renaissance
Baltimore’s redevelopment strategy has long been deeply flawed and eminent domain has negatively impacted the city’s renewal.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Simplify, Don’t Subsidize
An independent developer details the outrageous bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles small developers must pass in order to build private projects.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
California Scheming
The report summarizes the legal history and areas of contention behind eminent domain for private development in California.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Doomsday? No Way
When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld eminent domain for private development in the 2005 Kelo case, the public reacted with shock and outrage, leading to a nationwide movement to reform state laws and curb the…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
50 State Report Card
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s now-infamous decision in Kelo v. New London, 44 states have passed new laws aimed at curbing the abuse of eminent domain for private use.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Victimizing the Vulnerable
In Kelo v. City of New London—one of the most reviled U.S. Supreme Court decisions in history—the Court upheld the use of eminent domain by governments to take someone’s private property and give it to…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Development Without Eminent Domain
The former mayor of Anaheim, Calif., describes how that city’s leadership brought economic vibrancy to one neighborhood without resorting to any takings of private property. He also explores the successes and failures of other cities…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Eminent Domain & African Americans
Eminent domain has become what the Founding Fathers sought to prevent: a tool that takes from the poor and the politically weak to give to the rich and the politically powerful.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Dreher and Echeverria
In the fight to protect home and small business owners from the government’s abuse of eminent domain, it was only a matter of time until the apologists of the practice—taking property from one private individual…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
A False Sense of Security
Washington state law is rife with opportunities for eminent domain abuse.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Myths and Realities of Eminent Domain Abuse
The report debunks several of the most prevalent myths about eminent domain for private gain.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Redevelopment Wrecks
Cities and developers tend to overhype the benefits of private development projects that use eminent domain. But many of these projects are failures.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Opening the Floodgates
One year after the U.S. Supreme Court case, Kelo v. New London, local governments threatened eminent domain or condemned at least 5,783 homes, businesses, churches and other properties so that they could be transferred to…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Kelo v. City of New London
This white paper explains to both legislators and the general public why eminent domain reform is needed after the Kelo v. New London decision.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Manual de Supervivencia contra el Uso Abusivo del Dominio Eminente
Activistas de todo el país han utilizado la información de este Manual de Supervivencia para proteger con éxito sus hogares y pequeños negocios del uso abusivo del dominio eminente. Este Manual de Supervivencia se elaboró…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Eminent Domain Abuse Survival Guide
Activists nationwide have used the Eminent Domain Abuse Survival Guide to successfully fight illegitimate land-grabs. Expanding on the most effective practical strategies to protect your property outside of the courtroom, the Survival Guide is designed…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Public Power, Private Gain
In the first-ever report to document private-to-private takings, the Institute for Justice found more than 10,000 instances of eminent domain abuse in just a five-year-period.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Government Theft
The Institute for Justice brings together the 10 most egregious uses of eminent domain for private purposes from 1998 to 2001.