Supreme Court rulings side with landowners

The U.S. Supreme Court recently did something it hasn't done for65 years. It ruled that a government regulation amounted to a"taking" of property under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

In a 5-4 vote, the high court overturned the California CoastalCommission's requirement that owners of a beachfront lot dedicate aneasement providing public access across their property in exchangefor permission to convert a dilapidated bungalow into a two-storyhome.

The case of Nollan vs. California Coastal Commission follows onthe heels of another major decision bolstering rights of landowners.On June 9, the court held for the first time that property ownersmust be …