U. S. Supreme Court upholds urban camping ban targeting homeless

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday sided with an Oregon city's camping ban measure, a move some experts say will strengthen a similar law in Denver .

Why it matters: The decision emboldens Denver's controversial urban camping ban, which has been in place since 2012. Advocates argue it criminalizes homelessness.

Catch up quick: The SCOTUS case stems from a 2018 lawsuit filed on behalf of the homeless population in Grants Pass, Oregon.

• It targets a local law banning people from sleeping in parks or using sleeping materials to set up living spaces. It allowed authorities to ticket or jail people in violation.
• Lawyers representing the plaintiffs said the law violated the Constitution's clause prohibiting "cruel and unusual punishment."

Driving the news: The high court's decision says enforcing laws regulating camping on public grounds doesn't violate the Constitutional clause against cruel and unusual punishment, per SCOTUSblog .

• The court's conservative majority sided with the city, 6-3, with Justice Neil Gorsuch writing the majority opinion.

Zoom in: Denver's law bans unauthorized camping on public and private property, meaning people need permission to stay there, per 5280 .

The other side: Homeless advocates have repeatedly called for a camping ban repeal and for Denver to stop encampment sweeps, which they say further displace people without sheltering options.

• However, under Mayor Mike Johnston's administration, sweeps are usually conducted only when housing or sheltering is available to people being removed.
• Still, critics say this strategy hasn't solved the city's homelessness crisis.

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