Jacob Sullum: Can the Supreme Court stop the spread of blight?

New London, Conn., is arguing before the Supreme Court that property rights are contingent on how much the property owner pays in taxes. Really. Jacob Sullum has a good overview (linked above) in his Feb. 25, 2005, column at townhall.com. For instance, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor asked New London's lawyer about the prospect of, for instance, forcing Motel 6 to move out to make way for a Ritz-Carlton. And the guy said a city ought to be able to do that. Scary stuff.