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The Border Wall vs. Security
President Trump has argued that his proposed border wall is necessary to protect the nation’s security. Sadly, the wall presents a much graver risk to the security of Americans than the immigrants the wall will allegedly stop. The federal government has been using eminent domain to acquire the land needed to build the wall. The…
Picking Winners and Losers in Rowlett
In 2015, the city of Rowlett condemned a private driveway to improve traffic flow between two shopping centers. The owner of the driveway–KMS Retail Rowlett–filed suit. The trial court ruled in favor of the city, and that verdict was upheld on appeal. The case has reached the Texas Supreme Court, which heard arguments in early…
Pipelines and Property Rights
The construction of pipelines in Texas seems to pit two of the state’s values against one another. The Texas economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas. The construction of pipelines to transport those products often results in the seizure of private property through eminent domain. Texans value property rights, and eminent domain is a…
Reform that isn’t Reform
Texas legislators have introduced a pair of bills aimed at reforming the state’s eminent domain laws. According to Rep. DeWayne Burns, one of the sponsors of the House version of the reform, “HB 991 will ensure Texas property owners are respected partners in building our critical infrastructure while preserving our strong tradition of property rights.”…
It’s in the Constitution
Supporters of eminent domain often claim that the Constitution authorizes the government to seize private property for “public uses.” This, they argue, makes the use of eminent domain proper. Lest we forget, slavery was once a part of the Constitution. But that did not make slavery proper or moral. It simply made slavery legal. While…