Georgia Supreme Court rules against Marietta over Landowner’s Bill of Rights
In a ruling that will have implications for how local governments seize private property, the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday affirmed the 2006 Landowner's Bill of Rights as a set of mandatory rules for condemning authorities.
AJC's PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Landowner's Bill of Rights tested at Georgia Supreme Court
The court sided with property owner Ray Summerour against the city of Marietta, which had argued the protections laid out in the Landowner's Bill of Rights were merely guidelines.
“If [the Landowner’s Bill of Rights] were entirely optional, as the City urges, the protective function of the Act as a whole would be impaired significantly,” the ruling reads.
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Meris Lutz is a contributing writer covering climate, the environment and the economy. She is particularly interested in stories that explore the intersections between climate change and labor, markets, health, biodiversity, government transparency and public access to natural resources.
