Landowners could stall condemnation through court appeals, giving them real leverage

Evidence

But condemnation in 1924 was a slow process, since the state could not take title to property until a condemnation commission set its value. And since the property’s owner could appeal to the courts if not satisfied with the commission’s evaluation, he could delay the state further. He therefore possessed in his opposition to the state a weapon, even if it was a small one—and in the hands of the barons of Long Island, small weapons could become large. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 772

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Environmental law could demand permission from the species whose land would be taken — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 663