Public-camping ordinances across Virginia and the United States dodged a constitutional bullet that would have prohibited criminal penalties for violations those laws if the defendant did not have adequate access to shelter. ...more
On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson finding municipal ordinances prohibiting camping on public property to be a constitutional exercise of local government...more
In response to a class action suit by homeless people challenging several anti-camping ordinances in the city of Grant Pass, OR, the U.S. Supreme Court explored the contours of the Eighth Amendment (“8A”) of the U.S....more
Court Invalidates City’s Attempts to “Evade” Martin - Over the last few years, courts have significantly narrowed the permissible scope of local regulation of public camping. The catalyst for this shift was Martin v. City...more
Cities cannot prosecute people criminally for sleeping outside on public property if they have no home or no other shelter to go to, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier this week. The court held that...more