Opinion

Is compensatory wetland mitigation the smoking gun of a constitutional taking?

Of the twelve disciples, by my count, at least seven were fishermen. I believe Jesus chose fishermen because they were all too familiar with what we call “real.” Granted, there was plenty of “real” in Jesus’ time, but the “real” associated with the men of the sea is a concept that has endured the ages....

Nelson Paul
News

Transportation bill stiffs Map Act victims, may be unconstitutional, attorneys say

Homeowners whose property was taken by the government for highway projects may be out of luck if Gov. Roy Cooper signs the transportation bill on his desk. A provision in Senate Bill 356 controls the cost of the Map Act — a controversial 1987 law that let the DOT seize private land without immediately paying...

Julie Havlak
Opinion

City Planning and Property Rights

Governments tend to move inexorably toward more regulation, and this has certainly been true in the field of state and local regulation of development and building. Some rules are necessary, but the burden should be on government to justify any infringements on property rights on strict constitutional grounds.

George Stephens

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