City of GP Grateful for SCOTUS Ruling to Help Guide Homeless in Parks Crisis
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday reversed lower court rulings, finding that public camping restrictions issued by the City of Grants Pass do not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment."
The nation's highest court split largely along ideological lines in a 6 to 3 vote in a decision that likely will have significant reverberations around the country.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote for the majority that the enforcement of laws regulating camping on public property is "commonplace" and not barred by the Eighth Amendment. He found that homelessness is "complex" and that the city's limited fines for first-time offenders, bans from public parks for repeat offenders and a maximum of 30 days in jail for any violators are punishments that don’t add “terror, pain or disgrace.”
The court found that prior rulings by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in the Grants Pass case and another case in Boise that narrowed what cities can do to restrict public sleeping on streets, parks and sidewalks may have inadvertently increased the homelessness problem by weakening how cities can respond.
In a statement released Friday by the City of Grants Pass, officials said they were grateful to know the Supreme Court's decision in the case and thankful the ruling will help guide their next steps regarding unhoused members of the community.
City officials said once their legal counsel thoroughly reviews the Supreme Court opinion, the Grants Pass City Council will receive a briefing and discuss options for moving forward. The City Council will hold a Special Meeting in Executive Session following its bi-weekly workshop session on Monday.
Posted on 6/29/24 6:07AM by Sam Marsh