Supreme Court Rules Cities Can Seize Homes For Private Developers

NEW LONDON, CT - JUNE 27: A man walks past a sign for a Pfizer facility June 27, 2005 in the Fort Trumbull area of New London, Connecticut. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 23, in a closely watched property rights case, that the stimulation of economic development is a suitable use of the government's power of eminent domain. The decision has brought to a close a legal battle in New London where the city has been fighting to replace about 15 homes in the blighted Fort Trumbull residential neighborhood with a new conference hotel and "riverwalk." New London, a seaside town, was judged a "distressed municipality" approximately 15 years ago by the state of Connecticut. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)