ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between American judiciary rhetoric and rituals of sacrifice through the analysis of Kelo v. City of New London, a 2005 US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) landmark case concerning the regulatory condemnation and seizure of private residences for private commercial redevelopment. It examines the rhetorical invention of new laws of sacrifice in the Kelo case, where the SCOTUS greatly expanded the scope for the legitimate use of eminent domain. The chapter explores the relationship between American judiciary rhetoric and legal rituals of sacrifice. It seeks to highlight the rhetorical invention of laws of sacrifice through analyzing Kelo v. City of New London, the 2005 US Supreme Court landmark case concerning the eminent domain taking of private residences for private redevelopment. The rhetorical analysis will first discuss the socially embedded belief framework that forms the discursive basis for Kelo v. City of New London.
