Court Opinion

ID: 9781740
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 17:19:52.822927+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:34:36.176254
License: Public Domain

OPALA, J.,
with whom KAUGER, J., joins, dissenting
T1 I am no longer able to accede to the view a municipality's declaration that an area of the city is affected by blight is a legislative act which need not be preceded by personal notice to land owners within the territory included in the area and by an opportunity to contest the new status sought to be imposed upon the property. Because the described municipal declaration immediately and directly subjects the property located within the declared blight-affected territory to a forced sale, it must be preceded by a meaningful opportunity to the owners to defend against and contest the action that will expose their land to immediate law-compelled alienation.
T2 One's claim to the protection of due process will not be defeated by a clever use of word games.