U.S. Supreme Court soon to issue major ruling on homeless rights

(FOX40.COM) — The United States Supreme Court is set to issue a major ruling on how governments can handle people sleeping on city property.

At the heart of the case is the question of whether local governments, such as cities, can penalize people sleeping outside if it does not have shelter available to them.

Report: Sacramento homelessness down 29% since 2022, still more than double 10 years ago

The case has been paid close attention to by government officials who have complained that a 2018 ruling by the Ninth Circut Court of Appeals, which determined that governments could not enforce anti-camping measures if it could not offer an alternative, has made tackling the issue of homelessness all the more complex.

Homeless advocates argue that allowing punishment without offering an alternative criminalizes homelessness.

A number of California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho, have filed briefs with the court, generally in support of allowing penalties.

In Newsom’s argument, the governor said that he “supports this modest check on government’s use of criminal prohibitions to address the homelessness crisis” but that later interpretations since 2018 have revealed the scope of government actions banned to be too broad.

The court heard oral arguments in “City of Grants Pass v. Johnson” in April and is expected to deliver a ruling in the coming days.

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