United States ex rel. Tennessee Valley Authority v. 544 Acress of Land

314 F. Supp. 273, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13776
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedSeptember 26, 1969
DocketCiv. A. No. 923
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 314 F. Supp. 273 (United States ex rel. Tennessee Valley Authority v. 544 Acress of Land) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States ex rel. Tennessee Valley Authority v. 544 Acress of Land, 314 F. Supp. 273, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13776 (E.D. Tenn. 1969).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

NEESE, District Judge.

The Court submitted to a jury the issue of just compensation herein, but reserved the issue of the relator’s right to take that portion of the land included in the taking which lies above the floodline. The landowners claim a right to contest this reserved issue by evidentiary hearing.

The necessity and expediency of taking property for public use is a purely political determination for the Legislative Branch. It is not a subject for judicial inquiry, and it requires no hearing. Joslin v. Providence (1923), 262 U.S. 668, 678, 43 S.Ct. 684, 67 L.Ed. 1167, 1176 (headnote 12). After the Legislative Branch has decided the question of the public purpose, neither the amount or character of the land to be taken for a project nor the need of particular acreage to complete the integrated plan adopted, are matters for the Judicial Branch. Berman v. Parker (1954), 348 U.S. 26, 35-36, 75 S.Ct. 98, 99 L.Ed. 27, 39 (headnote 14). These basic principles have been followed uniformly. See United States v. Bowman, C.A. 7th (1966), 367 F.2d 768, 770 [4] ; United States v. Mischke, C.A. 8th (1961), 285 F.2d 628, 631; also United States ex rel. TVA v. Welch (1946), 327 U.S. 546, 551-552, 66 S.Ct. 715, 90 L.Ed. 843, 847-848 (headnote 3).

For the purpose of maintaining and operating certain properties of the United States in the interest of the national defense and for agricultural and industrial development, and to improve navigation in the Tennessee River and to control the destructive flood waters in the Tennessee River and Mississippi River basins, the Congress created a public corporation, the relator Tennessee Valley Authority. 16 U.S.C. sec. 831. It granted this corporation such powers as may be necessary or appropriate for the exercise of the powers specifically conferred upon it, 16 U.S.C. sec. 831c (g), including the specific power to acquire real estate for the construction of reservoirs at any point along the Tennessee River or any of its tributaries, 16 U.S.C. sec. 831e(i), and the power to exercise in the name of the United States of America the right of eminent domain, title to real estate purchased or acquired by condemnation to be taken in the name of the United States of America, which thereafter is entrusted to the relator as the agent of the United States to accomplish the purpose of 16 U.S.C. ch. 12A. 16 U.S.C. sec. 831c(h). This right of condemnation of lands extends to such “ * * * which, in the opinion of the [relator] Corporation, are necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter [16 U.S.C. ch. 12A], * * *” 16 U.S.C. sec. 831x, as amended Sept. 28, 1968, Pub.L. 90-536, sec. 1, 82 Stat. 885.

While all appropriations necessary to carry out the provisions of 16 U.S.C. ch. 12A are authorized, 16 U.S.C. [275]*275sec. 831z, the relator sought an appropriation from the Congress of funds to enable the relator to proceed with the Tims Ford dam and reservoir project.

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Bluebook (online)
314 F. Supp. 273, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13776, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-ex-rel-tennessee-valley-authority-v-544-acress-of-land-tned-1969.