Her "Little Pink House" Was Her Castle—Until the Government Said It Wasn't

Kelo v. City of New London effectively turned an explicit constitutional right into a nullity. Though the language of the Fifth Amendment is clear-"nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation"-state and local governments for years had been getting away with using eminent domain to facilitate what amounted to private development. The New London case offered a perfect opportunity to end that abuse by reaffirming that when the Constitution says "public use," it means public use. Instead, it did the opposite, and Americans were appalled.