The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo decision has deeply shaken Americans. The ruling says the U.S. Constitution does not prevent state and local officials from seizing people’s homes and small businesses and giving them to private developers.

In a split 5-4 decision, the judges said local officials can take private property to promote “economic development,” increase their tax base, and meet the “diverse and always evolving needs of society.” The Court’s action is intensely unpopular with the public. In poll after poll, the vast majority of those surveyed across the nation oppose the ruling.

Many people in the State of Washington think that, because of the property protections in our state constitution, it can’t happen here. Too late. A new study by Washington Policy Center and the Institute for Justice Washington Chapter shows that the threat of eminent domain abuse here is real and, worse yet, is already happening.

Read the full Policy Note here