Supreme Court Seems Sympathetic to City Trying to Ban Homeless Camps

Conservative justices on the Supreme Court seemed receptive to an Oregon city’s argument on April 22 that the Eighth Amendment does not prevent it from prosecuting homeless people for sleeping outside. City of Grants Pass v. Johnson comes as cities across the nation struggle with homelessness and homeless camping sites, which have been growing because of rising residential rents, illegal immigration, and other factors. More than 580,000 people experienced homelessness in 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has reported. Grants Pass, population 39,000, is in southwest Oregon on the California border. Activist Gloria Johnson is the lead respondent in the appeal....