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Institute for Justice updates
Eminent Domain Abuse
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Tries To Take Properties With Bogus Blight Designations
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 hard over the years to build successful businesses, and they both hope to leave a legacy for future generations. Luis and Honey own properties right next to each other in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Honey owns a rental property that houses four families, and Luis runs a successful tire and auto repair shop. Now, though, Perth Amboy wants to take Honey’s property and Luis’ business for no other reason than it wants different businesses instead.
What’s happening to Honey and Luis is just the latest instance of local governments abusing their eminent domain power by twisting the definition of “blight” so that it is rendered overly expansive and utterly meaningless. So Honey and Luis have teamed up with IJ to fight back, save their properties, and restore their American dreams.
U.S. Supreme Court Sides With Atlanta Family In Wrong House Raid Case
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that an Atlanta family’s lawsuit may proceed against an FBI SWAT team that raided their house by mistake. One morning, Trina Martin, her son Gabe Watson, and her then-boyfriend Toi Cliatt were startled awake in their home by the sound of a flashbang grenade exploding as FBI agents rushed in and held the couple at gunpoint. What followed has been a years-long fight for accountability. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the 11th Circuit for a “careful reexamination."
Local Small Business Developer Sues Town Trying To Take His Property For Fake Park
Can a town use eminent domain to take a small developer’s land simply because they don’t want anything built there? That’s the question raised by a lawsuit filed by Kyle Taylor, who seeks to prevent the town of James Island, South Carolina, from taking his property. For years Kyle has been trying to develop a piece of property in his hometown. But an organized campaign of anti-development activists working with the local government has tried to stop him at every step of the way. Now, the town is claiming it wants the land for a park, not because the town was planning for a park, but because that appears to be the only way to stop Kyle. This extreme tactic is becoming increasingly popular for local governments that want to prevent legal development of property.
The Fifth Amendment says that the government must pay just compensation when it takes private property for public use, a command that, regrettably, is often treated as a mere suggestion. On this episode, we take a look at a variety of gambits and flim-flammeries that let the government take property without paying for it.
Beyond the Brief: ARRESTED for Telling Trespasser to Get Off Porch (BOGUS Warrant)
The Constitution requires a warrant before police can search you or your property. But what if that warrant is based on third-hand information? That’s what happened to IJ client Michael Mendenhall, and it happens across America every day.
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