As if the troubled Atlantic Yards project doesn't have enough problems, the property owners and tenants fighting the use of eminent domain on the project have filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The petition asks the Court to hear the appeal of the eminent domain case, which was dismissed on February 1. Goldstein v. Pataki was originally filed in October 2006. The Atlantic Yards opponents argue that hearing the case "provides the Court with an important opportunity to address the appropriate constitutional limits on the government's power to seize private homes for the benefit of powerful real estate developers like Bruce Ratner. The group's legal argument is that there is only a "pretext of a public purpose" for taking land for Atlantic Yards via eminent domain where the "actual purpose" is "to bestow a private benefit." Fans of legal documents can find the full petition and other paperwork here. The Court only accepts a handful of cases each year, but the appeal lengthens the time line for the developer.
· Supreme Court Asked to Hear Eminent Domain Case [DDDB]
· Atlantic Yards Stall: Timeline of Despair [Curbed]
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