The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Wisconsin in a property rights case last week. Property irghts activists are hanging their hats on the liberal majority in this opinion.
Murr’s property right sissue isn’t as clear cut as Kelo’s- should the house be taken. Murr owned multiple parcels of land and wanted to sell one parcel to build a cabin.
Standing in the way of the Murr’s cabin dream is a Wisconsin law that barred the sale because conservation rules treat the two lots as a single property that can’t be divided.
What did the court rely on to side with Wisconsin: that a land use regulation must be reasonable and Wisconsin was reasonably protecting the lands along the river. Plus, the land use rules existed before you bought the land- buyer beware.
PBS News Hour | Justices side with government in property rights case