New Jersey is a hotbed of eminent domain activity and could be the source of the next U.S. Supreme Court case on eminent domain — a case that would redefine and clarify the Court’s Kelo decision, according to a recent New York Times article. In that story, which appeared on Sunday, May 28, Ted Zangari was prominently quoted. “The post-Kelo case I see going to the U.S. Supreme Court one of these days, and it could very well be a case from New Jersey,” said Ted Zangari, a Newark lawyer who represents developers, “would be one involving a hastily hatched redevelopment designation intended to benefit a developer who’s a benefactor of some local politician.” The story also noted Zangari’s view that the Court, in its 5-4 decision in the Kelo case, expressed lingering reservations about redevelopment deals, which are crucial to New Jersey because the state has so little undeveloped land suitable for initial development.
