The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to reconsider a lower court's ruling on whether homeless people have a constitutional right to camp on public land, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The court's decision to take up the case came a day after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld lower court rulings in California and other Western states blocking anti-camping ordinances. according to In the LA Times. (Related: California homeless man found not guilty of assaulting former San Francisco fire chief)
Public officials in California and eight other Western states will be forced to take steps to clear encampments and relocate homeless people after the Ninth Circuit ruled that denying homeless people a place to sleep is cruel and unusual punishment. The newspaper reported that it is facing tougher legal challenges.
But a bipartisan group of public officials, including California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, was pushing to take the issue to the high court to restore authority over sidewalks and parks, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The first case the Ninth Circuit took up was from Grants Pass, Oregon, which failed to enforce an ordinance banning homeless people.Do not use blankets, pillows, or cardboard boxes to protect yourself from the elements. ” according to NBC to Los Angeles. A previous ruling in 2018 in a similar case in Boise, Idaho, ruled that enforcement of anti-camping laws is unconstitutional when there are no alternatives.The outlet reported.
Reacting to the Supreme Court's decision, Newsom said the state has “invested billions of dollars” to fight homelessness, but the legal ruling ultimately “ties the hands of states and local governments.” Stated.
“The Supreme Court can now reverse course and end the costly delays caused by litigation that have plagued our efforts to clear encampments and serve those in need. Newsom said, according to the LA Times.
According to NBC Los Angeles, some lawmakers are adamant about leaving the decision to the courts, but homeless people and their advocates have criticized the sweeps by authorities, calling them cruel and a waste of taxpayers' money.Ed Johnson, attorney for groups that challenged the Grants Pass ordinance, blamed “failed policy” They are “trying to distract the public and deflect blame.”
“The question before the court is whether the city can punish homeless residents for simply existing without access to shelter,” Johnson said, according to the newspaper. “Yet, some politicians and others have cynically and falsely blamed law enforcement for the cause of the homelessness crisis in order to distract the public and avoid responsibility for years of policy failures. There is.”
The federal government estimates that there will be approximately 653,100 homeless people in 2023, an increase of nearly 12% from 2022 and a record high. according to To Axios. According to figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development's Cal Matters, California alone will account for 30% of the nation's homeless population by 2022, with more than 172,000 homeless people living in the state. There is. report.
The justices will hear arguments in the case in April and are expected to issue a decision by the end of June, according to the LA Times. The ruling effectively applies to nine Western states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
