On April 11, in Washington DC, the Supreme Court Historical Society will do a free public showing of Little Pink House, the 2017 movie based on the story of Kelo v. City of New London, the controversial 2005 Supreme Court decision in which a 5-4 majority ruled that it is permissible for the government to condemn homes in order to promote “economic development.” I will be commenting on the movie and taking audience questions. Registration is free and open to the public, here. Come one, come all! I look forward to meeting any Volokh Conspiracy readers who come.
My book The Grasping Hand: Kelo v. City of New London and the Limits of Eminent Domain was the first book about the case by a legal scholar. Justice John Paul Stevens, author of the majority opinion, later admitted that I had pointed out a key error in his reasoning (though he continued to believe he got the bottom-line outcome right).
I had a small role as an unpaid consultant to the producers of the movie (my first and only Hollywood credit!). I reviewed the film here. It’s one of the better movies ever made about a Supreme Court case, though it unavoidably simplifies some of the legal issues at stake.
Ilya Somin
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