A New York State court has just ruled that the state may not use eminent domain on behalf of Columbia University to acquire a 17-acre site in West Harlem, dealing a major blow to the university’s plans to build a $6.3 billion satellite campus.

Norman Siegel, a lawyer for the property owners who opposed the use of eminent domain on behalf of Columbia, said the court’s decision is a “major victory” in a state that has been unduly deferential to the state’s power to take private property. He stated the ruling provides “a road map for how property owners can fight these battles.”