President Bush declared yesterday that the federal government can seize private property only for a public use such as a hospital or road.
The president signed an executive order in response to a Supreme Court decision granting local governments power to bulldoze people's homes to make way for private development.
It came on the first anniversary of the controversial Supreme Court decision in a case involving New London, Conn., homeowners.
The majority opinion from the divided court limited homeowner rights by saying local governments could take private property for projects purely related to economic development.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) welcomed Bush's executive order. But since the federal government has only a limited role in these types of projects, he said Congress must do more. Cornyn has introduced legislation that would also bar federal funding for any local projects in which land was obtained through eminent domain.
