The final clause of the Fifth Amendment, which states that private property cannot be 'taken for public use, without just compensation.' It limits the government's eminent domain power and requires fair payment when property is seized for public purposes.
From Old Norse 'taka' (to take or seize). The clause was included to prevent the type of arbitrary property seizures that had occurred under British rule, ensuring that public benefits don't come at individual citizens' expense.
The Takings Clause sparked one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions ever in Kelo v. City of New London (2005), where the Court allowed a city to seize private homes and give them to a private developer for economic development—the public was so outraged that most states passed laws to prevent 'Kelo-style' takings!
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