Cornerstone of Liberty: Property Rights in 21st-Century America

“Under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner…Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory…The Founders cannot have intended this perverse result.”—Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, dissenting in the Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London

The Supreme Court’s decision in the Kelo case created a firestorm of interest in protecting property rights. Through real-life stories and solid legal analysis, this book shows why property rights are the cornerstone of liberty and how they are protected in the US Constitution. It critically examines how courts and legislatures have diminished property rights and then lays out an agenda for protecting property rights in the future.