CITIZENS MOVE TO SEIZE SOUTER’S PROPERTY
 
WEARE, N.H. – A citizen’s group today filed a petition with the Town of Weare for the purpose of seizing by eminent domain U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s property for the development of a hotel. The petition warrant article will be considered by the citizens of Weare in their Deliberative Session February 4, 2006, and will be followed by a town ballot on March 14, 2006.
 
In a now-famous 2005 Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. New London, Conn., Justice Souter voted with the majority of the Justices to allow eminent domain to be used to seize privately-owned property, and turn that property over to a private developer for the purpose of building a hotel.
 
The Committee for the Protection of Natural Rights, a citizens group in Weare (www.Natural-Rights.org), is sponsoring the movement for Weare voters to support seizing Souter’s property for a similar purpose. The group collected the required number of signatures of Weare citizens, and these signatures have been verified by the Town of Weare.
 
Weare resident Joshua Solomon, a founding member of the group, said, “We are trying to make the point that if the Supreme Court approves property seizure for private development, then the property owned by Supreme Court Justices should not be exempt. By seizing Justice Souter’s property, we will be making that point.”
 
Similar court decisions have been popping up around the country allowing private property to be taken by local governments and given to other private individuals to develop projects that would provide greater property tax income for the municipalities involved.
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“By seizing Justice Souter’s property, and giving it to a developer to build a hotel on the site, we are simply following the law as set down by the Kelo decision last year,” said Solomon. “This is exactly the same situation.”
 
The Committee for the Protection of Natural Rights is a Weare-based grass roots non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of natural rights as defined in the New Hampshire State Constitution of 1784, “All men have certain natural, essential, and inherent rights – among which are, the enjoying and defending of life and liberty; acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; and, in a word, of seeking and obtaining happiness….”
 
The group is holding a campaign awareness rally at the Old Town Hall on John Stark Highway on January 21 and 22. The rally will include several guest speakers, as well as Solomon, who is a candidate for Selectman in the Town of Weare. He is also one of the founding members of CFPNR.