Eminent Domain

A Pipeline Company Seized Their Land and Left Them With a $383,000 Bill. What Will the Supreme Court Say?

Leonard Hoffmann and his neighbors in North Dakota went to court to fight for fair market value—as the Constitution promises—after WBI Energy Transmission said it would take their land at a discount.

Billy Binion | 7.17.2026 4:30 PM

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Leonard Hoffmann at his ranch in North Dakota (Institute for Justice)

What is someone owed when their land is seized via government force?

The Supreme Court announced last month that it will weigh in on that question. It is, of course, not the first time the justices have considered a version of the query: Eminent domain, which gives the state the ability to take private property for public benefit, is not novel in 2026. But the latest case before the Court is a reminder that property owners can still get raw deals, despite the legal safeguards meant to prevent that........

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