U.S. Supreme Court Backs Local Communities in Nation’s Homeless Response

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Grants Pass v. Johnson that city ordinances against public camping do not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” under the Eighth Amendment.

The Court’s decision is a win not only for the small Oregon city of Grants Pass, but also for dozens of Western localities that had been hamstrung by the Ninth Circuit as they grapple with record high rates of homelessness.

In response to the ruling, Robert Marbut, Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and former Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said, “The Supreme Court’s reversal of the Ninth Circuit’s opinion in the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson is a great first step in giving authority back to local governments to address the homelessness crisis. If this opinion is combined with proposed legislation such as Rep. Andy Barr’s (KY-6th) Housing PLUS Act, we can start to significantly reduce homelessness.”

Discovery Institute contends that cities and states need the freedom to address the root causes of homelessness like addiction and mental illness so that they might support organizations that are successfully and cost-effectively housing people.