Supreme Court Pays Closer Attention to Property Rights Cases

At Greenwire, Lawrence Hurley reports on a very interesting development at the U.S. Supreme Court.

At Greenwire, Lawrence Hurley reports on a very interesting development at the U.S. Supreme Court. He writes:

After several years of paying little attention to property rights—a darling cause of conservative activists—the Supreme Court has abruptly changed course.

The justices have agreed to hear two cases this term, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission v. United States and Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District, that concern the "takings" clause of the Fifth Amendment, which requires the government to compensate property owners when it takes property.

Property rights advocates also had some interest in two cases decided last term that, while not raising takings questions, did focus on broader questions of property rights in relation to government interference. In both, Sackett v. EPA and PPL Montana v. Montana, the property owners won.

The flurry of activity is in stark contrast to previous years. The last time the court heard more than one case on property rights was in the 2004-2005 term.

Read the whole story here.

The Supreme Court heard Arkansas Game & Fish Commission v. U.S. in early October (Koontz isn't scheduled until January) and as I reported here at Reason after attending the oral argument, the federal government's case appeared to be in trouble. The coming months may bring at least one more important Supreme Court victory for property rights.