The Supreme Court has effectively ended the national eviction moratorium, recently extended by the CDC and pushed by the Biden administration. The latest ban was set to expire on Oct. 3.
According to the New York Times, the court’s majority opinion said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had exceeded its authority.
“The C.D.C. has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination,” the opinion said. “It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the C.D.C. the sweeping authority that it asserts.”
Justice Stephen Breyer, writing for the three dissenting justices, said the court was in the wrong for its haste during a public health crisis.
About $5.1 billion of the $46.5 billion in federal aid for renters who fell behind on payments due to the pandemic had been disbursed by the end of July, per the New York Times. The court’s ruling, therefore, puts hundred of thousands of individuals at risk of losing their housing.
“As a result of this ruling, families will face the painful impact of evictions, and communities across the country will face greater risk of exposure to Covid-19,” Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
Earlier today, California Gov. Gavin Newsome tweeted that the federal ruling will have no impact on the state’s own eviction ban, which is to remain in effect until Sept. 30.
For more on this developing story, head to the New York Times by clicking here.