Eminent Domain

Kelo v. City of New London, Connecticut

 

In 1998, the small town of New London, Connecticut saw a dramatic turnaround in its economic fate when pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced its development of a waterfront global research facility in the city's Fort Trumbull area. New London created a development corporation to revitalize the area around the new facility, and granted this entity the power of eminent domain. This power has long enabled governments to condemn–essentially take–private property for "public use," so long as they conform to due process and provide just compensation. In this case, the development corporation filed condemnation proceedings against the petitioners in an attempt to condemn their homes–some of which had been in their families for over a century. This property was to be used to create an office park, a parking lot, and a new park. This case tests the limits of the government's power to take private property for "public use" under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution in circumstances when the "use" is largely commercial.

Questions as Framed for the Court by the Parties

What protection does the Fifth Amendment's public use requirement provide for individuals whose property is being condemned, not to eliminate slums or blight, but for the sole purpose of "economic development" that will perhaps increase tax revenues and improve the local economy?

New London, Connecticut is a small historic whaling port comprising six square miles and providing a home to approximately 25,000 residents. See City of New London website at http://ci.new-london.ct.us/index.html (last checked on February 7, 2005). 

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PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC v. State of New Jersey, et al.

Issues

Without violating the Eleventh Amendment, can a private party exercise the federal government’s eminent-domain power to seize land that belongs to a State, and can a federal court properly hear the case?

This case asks the Supreme Court to consider whether a private company can exercise the federal government’s eminent-domain power and also considers the scope of a federal court’s jurisdiction. Once the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity, the Natural Gas Act authorizes private parties to exercise the federal government’s eminent-domain power to secure rights-of-way and compensation to the landowner. Petitioner PennEast Pipeline Company, LLC argues that the Natural Gas Act’s delegation is necessary and ministerial, and there is no insult to state sovereignty in suits such as this. By contrast, Respondent New Jersey et al. contends that this delegation violates the Eleventh Amendment’s guarantee of sovereign immunity to the States. Both PennEast and New Jersey argue that the Third Circuit properly exercised its jurisdiction over the case. The outcome of this case has implications for siting new natural gas pipelines, eminent domain, and states’ rights.

Questions as Framed for the Court by the Parties

(1) Whether the Natural Gas Act delegates to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certificate-holders the authority to exercise the federal government’s eminent-domain power to condemn land in which a state claims an interest; and

(2) whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit properly exercised jurisdiction over this case.

PennEast Pipeline Co. (“PennEast”) plans to construct a pipeline that will pass through Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

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