Eminent domain is rarely popular.

Many see it as government theft.

The policy is supposed to take private land for public use.

Just what is public use is often the crux of the arguments.

A Delaware County judge says he'll rule by the end of March whether Ball State University can continue its efforts to claim the site of a family business through that practice. The Muncie college has offered the family that owns Hiatt Printing $400,000 for the property so that the school can build a $25 million hotel, conference center and student housing complex.

The Hiatts' say that Ball State's plans for the property don't constitute public use because all or part of the land would be used for business. Ball State maintains only 7 percent of the proposed project would be commercial space.