A ruling recently passed by the Supreme Court has given local governments the power to seize private property to generate tax revenue. This could feasibly enable cities to order the removal of homes to make way for shopping centers or other private development.The 5-4 decision means that home owners will have more limited rights. Thomas Merrill, a Columbia law professor and a specialist in property rights stated, “The message of the case to cities is yes, you can use eminent domain, but you bett.