City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
Lower Court: Ninth Circuit • Last updated: June 28, 2024
Plain-Language Summary
The Court ruled that cities can enforce laws against camping on public property, even when homeless people have nowhere else to go. Grants Pass, Oregon had fined homeless residents for sleeping outside. The Ninth Circuit had said this violated the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The 6-3 majority disagreed, saying these are ordinary laws about public conduct, not punishments for being homeless. The dissenters argued that punishing people for sleeping outside when there are no available shelters is effectively punishing them for being homeless.
Vote Breakdown
Why This Matters
This gives cities across the country more power to clear homeless encampments and enforce anti-camping laws. The decision reversed years of Ninth Circuit precedent that had limited what Western cities could do about homelessness on public lands. It was one of the most debated decisions of the term, with major implications for how communities address the homelessness crisis.