Knick v. Township of Scott

Knick v. Township of Scott grew out of a Pennsylvania ordinance requiring public daytime access to cemeteries on private land. The Supreme Court decided when a property owner may bring a federal takings claim under the Fifth Amendment after arguing that such a rule took property without just compensation.

The case was argued on January 16, 2019, and decided on June 21, 2019, but the prompt does not provide the vote count or opinion lineup.

The case affects whether property owners must first go to state court before suing in federal court over an alleged taking. That matters for people like homeowners or farmers challenging local land-use rules they say force access to or use of private property.

The Supreme Court has finished this case. Its decision now guides lower courts, property owners, and local governments in future takings disputes.

The case asked whether a landowner had to seek compensation in state court first before bringing a federal takings claim. It arose from a township rule requiring daytime public access to cemeteries on private land.

It affects where and when property owners can challenge local rules they say take private property without compensation. That can shape disputes involving homes, farms, and other private land.

The Court's work on this case is over. Lower courts and local governments now have to apply the decision in similar property-rights cases.