Robin Hood in Reverse
In November, New York’s Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, upheld the use of eminent domain to take homes and small businesses to make way for wealthy developer Bruce Ratner’s so-called “Atlantic Yards” development: 16 mammoth skyscrapers centered around a basketball arena. The court accepted the Empire State Development Corporation’s contention that the area was “blighted”—based on a study that Ratner paid for himself and which wasn’t even initiated until years after the project was announced.
Click here to read the full article.
Suggested citation: Ross, J. K., & Carpenter, D. M. (2010). Robin Hood in reverse. City Journal. https://www.city-journal.org/article/robin-hood-in-reverse
Related Cases
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Stiffed by a Pipeline Company Wielding Eminent Domain, Plains Ranchers Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
North Dakota ranchers fought a pipeline company with eminent domain power for the fair value of their land. But an appeals court said the company did not have to pay the ranchers' attorney fees. That…
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Local Small Business Developer Sues South Carolina Town Trying to Take His Property
A native of James Island, South Carolina, wants to develop thoughtful properties in his hometown. The town took his land using eminent domain based on a pretext.
Eminent Domain | Private Property
New Jersey Properties Blighted Just Because City Wants Them, Not Because Anything is Wrong With Them
Honey Meerzon and Luis Romero came from different backgrounds but have many things in common. Their parents both fled oppressive government regimes in search of a better life for their children. They have both worked…