Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Publication Date
2011
ISSN
0199-4646
Page Number
1175
Keywords
Eminent Domain, property rights, public policy
Disciplines
Law | Property Law and Real Estate
Abstract
This brief Essay, part of a Fordham Urban Law Journal Symposium on eminent domain in New York, argues that there is a seldom-recognized purpose to eminent domain: preserving the ability of elected representatives to respond to the will of the people. The essay proposes that eminent domain allows government to depart from the policy choices of administrations which came before and is therefore a tool for preserving "democratic legitimacy." It explores this theory by examining examples such as breaking up the adult use zones in Times Square and reclaiming New York's waterfront.
Recommended Citation
Christopher Serkin,
Condemning the Decisions of the Past, 38 Fordham Urban Law Journal. 1175
(2011)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty-publications/414