Although private property rights are guaranteed by both the U.S. and Texas constitutions, they have been systematically scaled back over time. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo decision, however, Texas has begun the march toward restoring those rights. Here are some next steps for Texas.
Property Rights
Oakland fined this couple $915,000 for preventing fires. That’s 18 times the penalty for actual arson
Imagine buying a piece of property, being ordered by the government to clear it of fire hazards, and then being handed a near-million-dollar bill by that same government for doing exactly what it asked. It sounds like a dystopian satire of bureaucratic overreach, but for Matthew Bernard and Lynn Warner, it is a harrowing legal...
August 19, 2026