This article describes background and aftermath of a June 23, 2005, U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding Kelo v. City of New London (125S.CT.2655). In this case, the United States Supreme Court ruled that New London could take privately owned properties for private sector development under its economic revitalization plan. Because the plan served a public purpose, the takings in question satisfied the U.S. Constitution’s public use requirement, which simply bans government from taking land for public use without just compensation. The Supreme Court relied on prior decisions and interpreted "public use" as the equivalent of "public purpose."