Supreme Court Blocks Biden’s Eviction Moratorium

On Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s new eviction freeze, leaving millions of Americans at risk of becoming homeless amid the resurging COVID-19 cases.

The ruling, coming from the conservative-majority court, found that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) eviction moratorium was unconstitutional.

“The equities do not justify depriving the applicants of the District Court’s judgment in their favor,” the justices wrote on Thursday. “The moratorium has put the applicants, along with millions of landlords across the country, at risk of irreparable harm by depriving them of rent payments with no guarantee of eventual recovery.”

The court’s three liberal judges wrote an objection, arguing that banning the federal moratorium may result in crowded living conditions amid “the doubly contagious Delta variant threatens to spread quickly.”

Following the court’s decision, the Biden administration said it is disappointed over the ruling.

“The Biden Administration is disappointed that the Supreme Court has blocked the most recent CDC eviction moratorium while confirmed cases of the Delta variant are significant across the country,” Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said in a statement. “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.”

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) also expressed her disappointment, calling the court’s decision a “partisan ruling.”

“We were outside the Capitol for 5 days. Rain. Heat. Cold. If they think this partisan ruling is going to stop us from fighting to keep people housed, they’re wrong. Congress needs to act immediately. For every unhoused or soon to be unhoused person in our districts,” Bush tweeted.

Earlier this month, Judge Dabney Friedrich of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia allowed the Biden administration’s replacement eviction ban to stay in effect until October 3, though she said did not believe that the administration will prevail in the Supreme Court.