In 1992, I stood before the U.S. Supreme Court as the petitioner in Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, a landmark property rights case that continues to reverberate through constitutional law. That case was not just about a piece of beachfront property. It was about whether the government can strip a citizen of the use and value of their land without just compensation. We won — then. But in the three decades since, the spirit of Lucas has been steadily eroded by bureaucratic encroachment and judicial indifference. As Justice Clarence Thomas recently noted, the promise of Lucas has “dimmed beneath the weight of regulatory workaround and legal hesitation.”
Today, I find myself once again drawn into the fight — not out of nostalgia, but obligation. Rom Reddy, a South Carolina citizen and entrepreneur currently embroiled in a property rights battle on the Isle of Palms, represents what I once was: a man compelled to take a stand in opposition to a system stacked against the individual. Through his efforts, the DOGE SC initiative has emerged as a grassroots movement demanding accountability, transparency and a return to limited government. It is my honor to endorse this movement and join Rom in bearing the torch.
This is not about the wealthy protecting their own. It is about those with means helping to protect everyone else. The average citizen can’t afford to fight endless court battles or navigate layers of bureaucracy, unelected boards and commissions. But when individuals of means and experience rise, not solely in pursuit of profit but in defense of constitutional principle, we are called to listen and to act.
Property rights are just the tip of the iceberg. Every aspect of South Carolinians’ lives is impacted by government overreach. This is not freedom, but a slow drift into total tyranny. The time to reverse course is now.
DOGE SC is not merely a proposition; it is a necessity. South Carolina can once again lead the nation in defense of constitutional liberty.
Respectfully submitted,
David Henry Lucas
Petitioner, Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council
Advocate for individual Constitutional Rights
Charleston, South Carolina – email: dhlucas844@gmail.com