Columbus, OH – On Friday, The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Jackson v. Southfield Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative and an amicus brief in Yono v. Ingham County, two important property rights cases in That State Up North. The Michigan Supreme Court requested briefs from The Buckeye Institute recognizing the expertise of Buckeye’s legal team and their well-reasoned legal arguments.

“The words in the takings clause carry the same meaning today that they did when they were written with quill and ink by the Framers of the U.S. Constitution,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute. “Simply put, the government cannot take private property for public use without just compensation.”

In its two briefs, The Buckeye Institute points out that the roots of the takings clause—or the just compensation clause—are rooted in Magna Carta, reflected in colonial statutes, and included in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787—out of which both Michigan and Ohio were created. Buckeye argues that the takings clause is unconditional and that when the government does take private property for public use, its duty to compensate the former owner is “categorical.”

While That Team Up North thinks it is perfectly acceptable to steal signs, The Buckeye Institute urges the Michigan Supreme Court to reject this blasé attitude towards stealing and uphold the constitutional rights of private property owners. 

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