ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how Institute for Justice (IJ) was able to both capture the public's attention and spark an existing political movement from the not uncommon actions of a small city and a loss in the legal arena with Kelo v. New London. In bringing Kelo to the US Supreme Court, IJ was able to recast and reinvigorate historic criticism about "urban renewal" and "community redevelopment" in constitutional terms that had their genesis in the neoliberal ideology that emerged in American politics with the election of Ronald Reagan. The Institute for Justice was able to transform abstract neoliberal goals into ideas that would find a sympathetic hearing in court, on editorial and news pages, and with the general public. The Castle Coalition would serve to help mobilize the foment generated by the decision. This is an attachment shared by the overwhelming majority of people from across the political spectrum and from many demographics.
