Kelo v. City of New London

Kelo v. City of New London is a 2005 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that addressed the scope of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, which permits government seizure of private property for public use with just compensation. The city of New London, Connecticut, sought to use eminent domain to acquire a group of privately owned homes, including one belonging to Susette Kelo, as part of a larger economic development plan intended to revitalize the area surrounding a new corporate research facility. The homeowners argued that transferring their property to other private parties for economic development did not qualify as a public use within the meaning of the Fifth Amendment. In a five to four decision written by Justice John Paul Stevens, the Court held that economic development qualified as a public use because it served a broader public purpose, deferring to the legislative judgment of local officials. The decision provoked a significant public backlash, and in the years afterward more than forty states enacted new laws restricting the use of eminent domain for private economic development purposes.