Kelo v. City of New London

In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision in Kelo v. City of New London that a Connecticut city could take away people’s homes and turn the property over to a private party that would develop the property for its own profit. The Court justified this result because the increased tax revenue on the developed property would benefit the public and the use of the property was, therefore, a public use. This proved to be an illusion. The company that was to develop the project went bankrupt. The city has spent $78 million to date and just has a vast, level space. Mrs. Kelo’s home and others were bulldozed.

Though Mrs. Kelo’s home was not in a blighted area, poor people have been evicted and their home taken in urban renewal projects when they did not want to move and whether they were better off forcibly relocated was questionable.

Kelo set off a firestorm of protest and 43 states have enacted reforms to prevent such confiscation for private use. Mississippi should also do this.