On June 28, 2024, the US Supreme Court issued a decision in City of Grants Pass, OR v. Gloria Johnson, the most significant case on homelessness in over 40 years. Reversing over 10 years of lower court precedent in the 9th Circuit, and sidestepping a 62-year-old precedent, the Supreme Court ruled the 8th Amendment’s cruel and unusual punishment clause does not prevent municipalities from ticketing, fining, and otherwise criminalizing homeless persons even if no shelter is available. Join us for a discussion on the impact of the decision on unhoused people, and state and local governments, and become inspired by advocates for the unhoused and lawyers representing state and local governments as all parties look forward to advancing the societal and governmental response to unhoused individuals needing shelter and services.
Moderator:
- Antonia Fasanelli, National Homelessness Law Center
Speakers:
- Kirsten Anderson, Southern Poverty Law Center
- Will Knight, National Homelessness Law Center
- Joshua Segal, Maryland AG (filed brief for MD, IL, Mass, Minn, NY, VT)
- Michael M. Walsh, Certified Appellate Specialist, California State Bar, L.A. Deputy City Attorney, Civil Liability Appeals Division
Co-sponsors: State and Local Government Law, Civil Rights and Social Justice, SOGI Commission, Commission on Disability Rights, Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Commission on Homelessness and Poverty