▪ Government Gone Wild: Wilkie v. Robbins Decided

The US Supreme Court has issued its opinion in Wilkie v. Robbins (No. 06-219, June 25, 2007), a case I posted about here.  The legal issues in the case were whether there is a claim for RICO violations and a private claim for relief when federal officials are alleged to violate a property owner's Fifth Amendment rights, retailing against him when he refused to provide free access to his land.  The Court held "no."  More to follow after a better chance to digest the many opinions.  Preemptive Karma posts her (his? its?) thoughts here:

The Supreme Court basically said that even if government officials engage in behavior that would normally be considered racketeering, if they're doing it in pursuit of their duties for the government and not for any benefit for themselves, then they cannot be held personally responsible for racketeering. It pretty much seals sovereign immunity in stone. No matter where you stand on private property rights, the fact that the Supreme Court has removed personal liability for such outrageous behavior by public officials should send a chill down your spine.

Couldn't have said it better.