[JURIST] Susette Kelo, whose case led to the June US Supreme Court ruling in Kelo v. New London [opinion text; JURIST report; Institute for Justice backgrounder], where the court held local governments can take homes for private development, urged [prepared testimony] the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] Tuesday to end government involvement in these seizures and protect people's homes. The panel is considering proposals [hearing materials] to bar federal money from construction projects that benefit from the Kelo ruling. Addressing the committee, Kelo urged:

I sincerely hope that Congress will do what judges and local legislators so far have refused to do for me and for thousands of people like me across the nation: protect our homes under a plain reading of the U.S. Constitution. Federal lawmakers should pass legislation that will withhold federal development funding for cities that abuse eminent domain for private development - such as the one that could take my home, which received $2 million in federal funds. What we have now at the local, state and federal level amounts to "government by the highest bidder," and that has got to stop.