Charlie’s Story: Eminent Domain
In 2012, Charlie Birnbaum was given three minutes to petition the court on why it was wrong for the government
When you’d like to save an article for later, click the button that looks like this and we’ll save it for you here.
How does this feature work? Where is my data saved?This will remove all the stories you’ve saved from your list. You can’t undo this action, but you can always re-add stories to your list individually.
The government often frames eminent domain as a necessary evil, a rule that gives authorities the right to redistribute private land, putting it to use for roads, schools, or hospitals. But should the government ever be allowed to seize property from a citizen who is unwilling or unable to sell? When the government is granted this power, people’s rights are inevitably trampled.
In 2012, Charlie Birnbaum was given three minutes to petition the court on why it was wrong for the government
For 50 years, Charlie Birnbaum’s family lived at 311 Oriental Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the house Charlie’s parents purchased after escaping Nazi Germany.