Ohio Court Defends Private Property
Written by Brian Garst, Posted in Government Meddling, The Courts, Criminal Justice & Tort
An Ohio suburb’s attempt to seize private homes using eminent domain so they can build offices and shops was shot down by Ohio’s high court.
Ohio’s highest court said a Cincinnati suburb may not take over private property to make way for a $125 million development of offices, shops and restaurants.
The case is the first challenge of property rights laws to reach a state high court since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that local governments can seize homes for use in private development.
The Ohio case involved the city of Norwood, which used its eminent domain authority to overrule holdouts against private development. The project is meant to revitalize the neighborhood, but the state court says economic development alone doesn’t justify taking homes.
I serve as Vice President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a non-profit think tank dedicated to preserving tax competition and free markets. This site features my personal views, which are not reflective of CF&P.