City tries to grab properties simply ‘to give it to someone else,’ now court has final say

Laws across American give local, state and national government authorities that private citizens don’t have.

One of those is the power of eminent domain, which is when a government confiscates a private property and uses it for a “public purpose.”

Sometimes the definition of that “public” goal is a little clouded, as governments sometimes turn confiscated property over to another private owner for his or her use.

Multiple court fights have developed over the practice, and there have been many widely disparate results.