Slate‘s Dahlia Lithwick has covered the opening arguments in Kelo v New London. The case, in a nutshell: the city of New London wishes to seize, via eminent domain, private property to sell to private developers to create a new upscale community. Problem is, the current properties are not blighted (the usual criteria for ED), and the city’s argument centers around the increased tax revenue a new community could generate.

If you live in Pittsburgh, especially the city proper, pay attention to this. Mayor Tom Murphy is. Should the Supremes rule in favor of New London, expect Murphy to use his new-found power to hand over large chunks of the Fifth-Forbes corridor to private developers. This could be a dream-come-true for our lame-duck leader.

Also, new pics of the boy.

Posted on 23 February 2005