Private Property, Public Interest

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Imagine one day a man from the government comes to take your home. It happens thousands of times a year in America. It is called the power of eminent domain, and it is all laid out in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Should it matter if the government wants your house not for a road or a park but to make room for a private development? It might mean more tax revenue for the city government, but is it really in the public’s interest?

That’s what the United States Supreme Court will decide this year, when it looks at the case of New London, Connecticut homeowners who are refusing to move from their homes.

Guests:

Matt Dery, New London, Connecticut homeowner

Dana Berliner, Institute of Justice lawyer representing Dery and co-plaintiffs

Dan Krisch, lawyer with Horton, Shields and Knox representing the New London Development Corporation