Democrats Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Ban on Punishing Homeless for Public Camping

Democrat lawmakers support a Ninth Circuit ruling that says the Eighth Amendment forbids such prosecutions.
Democrats Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Ban on Punishing Homeless for Public Camping
A sculpture called 'Authority of Law' in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in this undated photograph. Perry Spring/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Matthew Vadum
Updated:

A group of Democrat lawmakers is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a lower court ruling that blocked a local government in Oregon from prosecuting homeless people for sleeping outside.

The case, City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, set to be heard later this month, arises as cities nationwide grapple with the issue of homelessness and the expansion of homeless camps, fueled by rising residential rents among other factors. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that more than 580,000 people experienced homelessness in 2022.