An Interesting Omission — the Kelo Case has Gone Missing

Today’s New York Times devotes most of a page to the topic of public opinion of Supreme Court’s decisions, listing some 18 big-time cases which are ranked in order of their respective rates of public approval. See Adam Liptak and Allison Kopicki, Public’s Opinion of Supreme Court Drops After Health Care Law Decision, N.Y. Times, July 19, 2012, at p. A21. Click on http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/us/politics/publics-opinion-of-court-drops-after-health-care-law-decision.html?ref=politics. For the graphics table accompanying this article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/07/19/us/public-approval-of-major-court-decisions.html?ref=politics. All the usual suspects are there: Sebelius, Roe, Grutter, Clinton v. Jones,  N.Y. Times v. Sullivan, Citizens United, Brown v. Board of Education, Boumedienne, and, of course Bush v. Gore — plus others. All are ranked on their rate of public approval from a low of 13% (Buckley v. Valleo, holding that independent political committees may spend unlimited sums on behalf of a candidate), to a high of 71% (Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District, holding that race may not be used as a factor when assigning students to public schools).

But something is missing.

Try as we may, we find no mention or trace of Kelo v. New London. Wonder why? After all, Kelo was the case with the lowest rate of public approval in the past century. So why doesn’t it rate so much as a passing nod?

If you have an explanation of this curious omission, by all means do share it.