SCOTUS decision in CITY OF GRANTS PASS V. JOHNSON

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) reversed the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson and remanded the case back to the lower court for further discussion.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined in the majority by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, and Barrett, wrote the opinion of the Court, closing with: "The Constitution's Eighth Amendment serves many important functions, but it does not authorize federal judges to wrest those rights and responsibilities from the American people and in their place dictate this Nation's homelessness policy. The judgment below is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in dissent with Justices Kagan and Brown, closed her opinion with: "This Court, too, has a role to play in faithfully enforcing the Constitution to prohibit punishing the very existence of those without shelter. I remain hopeful that someday in the near future, this Court will play its role in safeguarding constitutional liberties for the most vulnerable among us. Because the Court today abdicates that role, I respectfully dissent."

Follow this link to read the full ruling.

The City of Grants Pass issued the following statement to the media this morning,

GRANTS PASS - Like many across our country, we are grateful to know the Supreme Court's opinion in our case, and we're thankful that the Court's ruling will help guide our next steps regarding unhoused members of our community.

Once our legal counsel has thoroughly reviewed the SCOTUS opinion reversing the Ninth Circuit's ruling and remanding it for further discussion, the City Council will receive a briefing and discuss our options for moving forward.

While it is too soon to know specifically what steps we may take, we are committed to assisting residents struggling to find stable housing, and we will continue working to make Grants Pass a safe and welcoming community for all.