At a Glance
Date Filed:
Current Status
The Center for Constitutional Rights filed a brief of amici curiae on behalf of 46 groups in the U.S. Supreme Court on April 3, 2024, arguing that municipal ordinances punishing people for sleeping in public areas when shelter beds are unavailable violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and have a disproportionate impact on LGBTQI+ people, who already experience elevated rates of homelessness due to discrimination and marginalization. On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the ordinances do not violate the Eighth Amendment or criminalize status, and reversed the appellate court's decision.
Our Team:
- Mikaila Hernández
- Zee Scout
- Remy Burton
- Chinyere Ezie
- Leah Todd
Client(s)
Amici are 46 non-profit and grassroots organizations from across the country dedicated to eradicating discrimination against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, queer, intersex, two spirit, gender non-conforming, or gender diverse (LGBTQI+), as well as the criminalization of poverty.
Case Description
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson is a case about the criminalization of poverty. The Supreme Court has decided whether people experiencing involuntary homelessness in a city with no safe, available shelter beds can be punished with fines, fees, and criminal penalties if they sleep in public areas with rudimentary protection from the elements such as pillows and blankets—the unavoidable consequence of being without a home. The Center for Constitutional Rights, along with 45 other organizations working to end discrimination against LGBTQI+ people and support these communities' basic needs, filed a brief of amici curiae arguing that municipal ordinances punishing people for sleeping in public areas when shelter beds are unavailable violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and have a disproportionate impact on LGBTQI+ people, who already experience elevated rates of homelessness due to discrimination and marginalization.
