California Eminent Domain Report

Five years ago today, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Kelo v. City of New London, triggering perhaps the most broad sweeping eminent domain reform effort in U.S. history, along with tremendous critical commentary -- including, as just one example, an August 2005 piece on Forbes.com titled Eminent Disaster.

Quite frankly, I'm a bit bored by the decision after five years (I can't begin to count the number of times I've explained the decision and what it means to clients, at seminars and conferences, and on this blog).  However, others are marking the occasion with commentary, analysis, and even a You Tube video.  Here's a sample of what's floating on the web today:

• Institute for Justice white paper, Five Years After Kelo:

  The Sweeping Backlash Against One of the Supreme Court’s Most-Despised Decisions;

• Institute for Justice video, Kelo:  Five Years Later;
• Owners' Counsel of America's Eminent Domain Law Blog, Today marks 5 year anniversary of Supreme Court's ruling in Kelo v. New London;
• Libertarian Party, Libertarians note anniversary of bad Kelo decision;
• Hotair.com, Kelo’s fifth anniversary: a triumph of property-rights activism; and
• Reason.com, Marking the Fifth Anniversary of Kelo v. City of New London.

If you've read all of this, and still want to read more about Kelo, you really should take a deep breath -- and immediately shut off your computer.  Go outside.  See a movie.  Watch the Wold Cup.  Something. . . .   Seriously.