A poetic ending to one of the most disgraceful Supreme Court decisions in the last 20 years.

Pfizer, the Big Pharma giant whose research facility in New London, Connecticut was the impetus for the decision in Kelo v. City of New London, has decided to close up shop and abandon the town entirely. 

So 10 years in Court, a dozen homes razed in the name of "public use", jobs and increased tax base has resulted in a vacant lot with no plans to develop in the near future.

Good work SCOTUS.

There was never any justifying Kelo. It is an indefensible decision and a despicable perversion of the Constitutions fifth amendment's takings clause, which reads:

nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation

Stretching "public use" to an absurd level, the Court effectively ruled that the Government can seize any person's private home and hand it over to a private, for-profit corporation because ostensibly that corporation, through taxes and job creation, will contribute to the public good, hence "public use". The argument is patently ridiculous on its face. It leaves literally no protection for homeowners in the event Government decides they know how better to utilize a given parcel of land.

Scott Bullock, Kelo's co-counsel in the case, told me: "This shows the folly of these redevelopment projects that use massive taxpayer subsidies and other forms of corporate welfare and abuse eminent domain."

Russ