Purely Economic Justifications Sufficient To Permit Exercise of Federal Eminent Domain Power–United States v. Certain Parcels of Land

The federal government, pursuant to authorizing statutes, sought to condemn defendant’s land, alleging that it was needed as a source of fill for a section of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Defendant offered proof demonstrating that commercial fill could easily be purchased within the immediate area, that it was therefore not necessary for the government to condemn any land in order to complete the construction of the highway, and that his land was zoned “light industrial” and was thus ideally suited for future development. Employing the usual stringent proof requirements, the court granted the government’s motion for summary judgment, on the ground that purely economic considerations will justify the exercise of the federal eminent domain power.