A farm with 175 years of family ownership will be seized by the state of New Jersey under eminent domain. The Henry family inherited the 21-acre farm in Cranbury Township in 1850. The farm is still profitable for the Henry family, and they intend to maintain it for generations to come. However, the state of New Jersey determined that the land must be reappropriated for affordable housing and has notified the family that their land now belongs to the government.
The township offered to buy the Henry farm with a multi-million-dollar offer. When the family declined to sell, Cranbury officials unanimously voted to steal the land by eminent domain. The New Jersey Supreme Court determined that the state must produce a set number of affordable housing options annually, and Cranbury has a target of creating 265 units over the next decade. “They saw this little patch of green out there and said, ‘oh, we’ll just snatch that up.’ It’s very disappointing to me,” a member of the Henry family stated.
There were alternatives such as changes in zoning laws or looking into voluntary land sales. Instead, the government began to conduct public hearings back in April regarding the farmland without the Henry family’s knowledge. Mayor Lisa Knierim insists, “there simply was no way to meet the 265 unit obligation.”
“There’s four generations of my family buried in that town,” says Henry. “I can’t imagine going back there and driving by and seeing that house having been bulldozed.”
The issue garnered attention from the federal government, and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that the US Department of Agriculture is exploring “every legal option” to save the family farm. “On the phone with Andy Henry of Highland Ranch in Cranbury, NJ. The city govt has approved seizing his 175-year-old family farm via eminent domain for affordable housing units. Whether the Maudes, the Henrys or others whom we will soon announce, the Biden-style government takeover of our family farms is over,” Rollins posted on X.
What about the countless other Americans who are losing their land under eminent domain laws?
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Most know the right to remain silent provided by the Fifth Amendment. There is a “takings clause” clearly written in the Constitution that forbids the government from seizing private property. The current US Agriculture Secretary may be Republican, but both sides support eminent domain laws. Donald Trump wanted to invoke eminent domain to expand the Keystone XL pipeline and border wall, deeming it “an absolute necessity.”
We do not live in a free society. The government has absolute power over everyone, and everything we own is merely an illusion, as the government has granted itself the authority to seize anything on its soil. Eminent domain cases are a ploy for centralized power to confiscate private property and a total violation of our Constitutional rights.
