City Claims Ticketing Homeless not Cruel and Unusual
August 25, 2023 | Oregon
Grants Pass, Oregon, asked the Supreme Court to hear its legal battle over ticketing homeless people living in public encampments after a federal appeals court blocked the city from issuing the citations, saying it was cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Constitution.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction halting Grants Pass, in southern Oregon, from issuing civil fines to homeless people camping on public land.
The appeals court reasoned the city ordinance’s ticketing scheme violated the 8th Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. (Excerpt from The Washington Times.)
