For years, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPWC) has leased 1,800 acres of privately owned land to operate the Fairfield Lake State Park. The owner of the land wanted to sell it, and for a year TPWC attempted to negotiate the purchase of the land. When those negotiations failed and the land was sold…
Few people care about property rights until it is their property that is threatened. For example, when the federal government began using eminent domain to seize property in south Texas, property owners objected. They correctly claimed that their property rights were being violated. However, they said nothing about rural Texans being threatened at the same…
In 2015, Hennepin County, Minnesota, seized a condominium for $15,000 in unpaid property taxes. A year later, the condominium was sold for $40,000. The county kept all of the money in an act that many call home equity theft. The condo owner sued and the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled for…
In mid-2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan for the state to build a border wall. To date, the program has raised a little more than $55 million in donations and completed 900 feet of wall. The state has committed $1 billion to the project. According to the Texas Tribune, as of December 31,…
Last week, I received a fund-raising letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the letter, Paxton repeatedly proclaimed his support for liberty. Yet, his track record belies this claim. For example, Paxton defended the Trump administration’s use of eminent domain to seize private land along the state’s southern border to build a wall. He…
In June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan for the state to build a wall along its border with Mexico. Trump’s plan to make Mexico pay for his border wall had a very loose relationship with reality from the beginning, and the same can be said about Abbott’s plan. In making his announcement, Abbott…
Two weeks ago, the Texas Senate passed HB 2730, an action that many are proclaiming as a victory for property rights. However, the bill is a non-victory because it does absolutely nothing to protect property rights. The Texas Farm Bureau, which supported the bill, reports two positive aspects of the bill: [A]n entity [using eminent…
We frequently hear individuals claim that their property rights are being violated. It happens when the government uses eminent domain to seize property for the border wall. It happens when zoning is used to prohibit or severely restrict short-term rentals. It happens when a preservation ordinance is used to prohibit modern buildings. Yet, in these…
President-elect Biden has promised to halt construction on the border wall when he takes office in January. He has also said that he will withdraw eminent domain lawsuits to seize property. While these are certainly positive steps, what about those who have lost their property to the border wall? Landowners across south Texas have had…
State Representative Ernest Bailes has pre-filed a bill that will allow property owners to file a complaint with the state over eminent domain misconduct. Bailes said, The process for landowners to file complaints and express their concerns should be clarified. The power of eminent domain should never be used as a threat, and those who…
For decades, the government has been preventing property owners from using their land as they choose. Under the guise of protecting “wetlands” and endangered species, government agencies have prevented development on parcels of land across the nation. But under the Trump administration, government agencies are wildlife preserves, both public and private, along the border to…
Imagine for a moment, that a neighbor’s young daughter desperately needs surgery to save her life, but her family can’t afford the medical expenses. If her father broke into homes in the neighborhood and stole money to pay for the surgery, we would recognize his actions as theft. His tragic circumstances do not change the…