Economic Development and Eminent Domain

557 Words2 Pages

This memorandum serves to analyze the arguments put forth by Kelo v. City of New London, concerning the constitutionality of the takings of property by the City of New London for economic development. Specifically it will look at the arguments made in the case about whether the attainment of private property by the City of New London for the purpose of economic development that would support private development meet the public use requirement of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment as applied to the states. This memorandum will first give the facts that lead to the case, followed by an analysis of the majority opinion and concurring opinion, then the dissents will be analyzed, and finally two lessons learned for the case will be identified. Facts New London is a city in southeastern Connecticut with an approximate population of 24,000. The city suffered through an economic decline and was designated a distressed municipality in 1990. Later, the government closed the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, which was an employer of 1,500 people in the Fort Trumbull area. Consequently, t...

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