The Texas Supreme Court says it's not about whether the train is good for the state. It's all about the law.

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In siding with Texas Central, the court's majority said their decision focuses on the issue of eminent domain, not about the merits of the train.

Eminent Domain in Texas

KXAN reports last month's ruling by the Supreme Court of Texas allows private groups behind the proposed bullet train between Houston and Dallas to use eminent domain to take land for the electric railway project.

Eminent domain is the power of the government to take private property for public use. The Fifth Amendment states that the government may only exercise this power if they provide 'just compensation' to property owners.

The court's ruling cites Chapter 131 of the Texas Transportation Code, saying it grants eminent domain authority for a electric railway company to provide transportation of passengers, freight, or both between Texas cities.

What is the Texas Bullet Train?

Texas Central claims the $30 billion train would travel up to 200 miles per hour, making it possible for passengers to commute between Dallas and Houston in about 90 minutes, according to WFAA. The company also argues the project will benefit the state by reducing traffic on Texas highways, create thousands of jobs, and generate billions of dollars for the economy.

Many land owners with property that sits in the proposed train path disagree with the recent ruling, and have been fighting the project for years. James Miles of Leon County sued Texas Central in 2019, challenging the company's authority to use eminent domain to take his land. How the train will affect the environment in Texas is also an issue.

What if Property Owners Refuse Eminent Domain?

The recent ruling means Texas Central can take property for the project and pay landowners for it, even if landowners object. It's not clear how much they will be paid, but KXAN is reporting that the project is expected to take about five years to finish.

Bet You Didn't Know: 10 Bizarre Texas Laws Still on the Books

Many states still have strange laws on the books that aren’t enforced or taken seriously anymore, and Texas is no exception.

Most of these laws are just funny now, but at one time, there was a valid (or at least somewhat valid) reason for them to exist.

Texas has plenty of strange rules and regulations that you could technically be prosecuted for if you violate them, since they've never been amended. Some of these are only for specific cities and not state-wide, but all of them are pretty odd!

Let's take a look at 10 of the weirdest ones in the Lone Star State.

Who Are The 5 Richest People in Texas, Not Counting Elon Musk?

There are more billionaires in America than in any other country, according to Stacker. For some people, the money just keeps pouring in, as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is projected to become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026.

However, Bezos is not the world's richest person right now. That title goes to the founder of SpaceX, Tesla, and the new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk. Musk owns a mansion in Austin but says his main home is a $50,000 rental from SpaceX in Boca Chica, Texas.

Forbes lists 63 billionaires in Texas, including Elon Musk. Let's find out who's at the top of the list in the Lone Star State for 2022, right behind Musk.

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