Railroad Attempts To Take Families’ Property Using Eminent Domain
A private railroad company does not get to exercise the government’s power of eminent domain for the benefit of a private business. But in one small town in Georgia, that’s exactly what a railroad company is attempting to do. To bring rail service to one privately held rock quarry, the Sandersville Railroad Company wants to drive a track straight through the heart of several parcels of property in the small town of Sparta, Georgia—including parcels that have been in the Garrett and Smith families for generations. Sandersville Railroad proposes to use the state of Georgia’s power of eminent domain to forcibly take from the Smiths and Garretts the land that Sandersville Railroad wants for the track.
IJ Defends Homes and Businesses from Government Land Grabs
Based on the centuries-old honored principle that “a man’s home is his castle,” the Institute for Justice seeks to restore strict limits for when the government can use eminent domain.
Legally, eminent domain projects allow the government to take land only for a “public use,” such as a post office or road. But when the government tries to take your property for use by a private person or an organization that is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The Institute for Justice is helping families and business owners defend the property that is rightfully theirs.
The Institute for Justice is a nonprofit, public interest law firm that is helping families and business owners defend the property that is rightfully theirs. Our mission is to end widespread abuses of government power and secure the constitutional rights that allow all Americans to pursue their dreams.
Join our fight against eminent domain abuse and other violations of government power today!
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