US Supreme Court: Homeless Can Be Fined for Sleeping Outside

The US Supreme Court ruled on Friday that US states may make it a crime to sleep outside. In doing so, the court overturns a decision by a lower court, which ruled in 2018 that such a law would be in violation of the US Constitution. This court described the punishment of homeless people who sleep outside as “cruel and unusual.” By 2023 estimates, more than 650,000 people in the United States were homeless. According to local officials, the 2018 ruling made it difficult to control camps for the growing number of displaced people.

An Oregon town, Grants Pass, took the case to the Supreme Court. The city plans to issue $295 fines for sleeping outdoors, as the number of homeless tents in local parks spirals out of control. Many American cities already enforce laws in a way that makes it difficult for homeless people to camp out in public spaces. This includes Grants Pass, which has already banned public use of stoves, sleeping bags and bedding.

According to the Associated Press, there was a clear ideological line in the sleeping outside ruling, and liberals drew the short straw, with six in favor and three dissents. “Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime,” was the minority opinion of the dissenting justices.

In Dutch municipalities, sleeping outside in public places is prohibited, although emergency shelters are often insufficient. The Netherlands is also suffering from a growing number of homeless people. The number of fines imposed on homeless people has risen sharply in the past year, NOS reports, although the homeless often cannot afford to pay them.

The US Supreme Court ruling came at the same time as two other rulings, one reducing the powers of the agencies and the other regarding the trial of the January 6, 2021, Capitol stormers. The latter ruled in favor of the rioters.

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