Supreme Court gives cities in California and beyond more power to crack down on camps of unhoused people

Tents outside the First Street U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles, where homeless advocates and supporters rallied as the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington D.C. heard oral arguments in the Grants Pass case, on April 22, 2024. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMattersIf you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news.The U.S.

“Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime,” she wrote, joined by Kagan and Jackson. “For some people, sleeping outside is their only option. The City of Grants Pass jails and fines those people for sleeping anywhere in public at any time, including in their cars, if they use as little as a blanket to keep warm or a rolled-up shirt as a pillow. For people with no access to shelter, that punishes them for being homeless. That is unconscionable and unconstitutional.

“It will make homelessness worse, in California and Grants Pass and across the country,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, spokesperson for the National Homelessness Law Center. “We know that throwing people in jail and giving them thousands of dollars in tickets makes it harder for them to find jobs, harder for them to find housing and harder for them to exit homelessness.

“The big fear is not only how bold they’re going to be,” De Asis Miralle said, “but how much deeper into instability and trauma and homelessness it will drive people.”The case stems from a 2018 lawsuit against Grants Pass, a small city in Southern Oregon that banned camping throughout its jurisdiction. The lower courts sided with homeless residents who argued that because humans need to sleep somewhere, the Grants Pass ordinance made it illegal to be homelessness.

An encampment covers a sidewalk near a freeway entrance in downtown San Diego on March 22, 2024. Photo by Kristian Carreon for CalMattersThe COVID pandemic made the situation more complex. In 2020, federal health regulations recommended that cities not clear any encampments, in order to limit the spread of the virus and protect vulnerable homeless residents.

Law Law Latest News, Law Law Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Supreme Court allows cities to enforce bans on unhoused people sleeping outsideToday on AirTalk, everything you need to know about this morning’s U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing cities to enforce laws restricting homeless encampments.
Source: LAist - 🏆 606. / 51 Read more »

Supreme Court gives cities in California and beyond more power to crack down on homeless campsCities no longer are prohibited from punishing homeless people for camping if they have nowhere else to go.
Source: CalMatters - 🏆 261. / 63 Read more »

California Supreme Court tax decision casts economic uncertainty over stateNo one can know how high taxes will go.
Source: ladailynews - 🏆 332. / 59 Read more »

Walters: California Democrats score big win as Supreme Court blocks anti-tax ballot measureState court decision strikes down latest effort by business and conservative interests to create law through ballot box.
Source: mercnews - 🏆 88. / 68 Read more »

Will latest Supreme Court decision affect California bans on assault weapons, magazines?The U.S. Supreme Court's latest ruling on guns will reshape court challenges to firearms laws across the country, including major cases in California.
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »

The Supreme Court rules against California woman whose husband was denied entry to USThe court ruled against a woman who said her rights were violated after officials refused to allow her husband into the country, in part, because of his tattoos.
Source: sdut - 🏆 5. / 95 Read more »