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"Ruling on Property Seizure Rallies Christian Groups," NY Times
This story by David Kirkpatrick discusses the 2003 case of Cottonwood Christian Center v. City of Cypress, where the City threatened to seize church property by eminent domain in order to resell it to Costco. The issue is receiving renewed attention because the Supreme Court's recent decision in Kelo authorized takings for economic development, thus increasing the chance that houses of worship will be targeted for seizure in favor of for-profit land uses to increase tax revenue. The story concludes with this quote:
Jared Leland, a lawyer for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty who helped represent the church, acknowledged that the Cottonwood case was a better example of protections for churches than it was of the risks they face. "Unlike private homes, religious institutions still have the First Amendment, federal law and state law to lean on," he said.
Still, Mr. Leland argued that letting cities use eminent domain to increase their tax base nonetheless increased the vulnerability of tax-exempt churches. "The decision will inevitably draw the bulldozers toward religious institutions first," he said.
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