Federal Circuit Appeals Court Rules Cities Cannot Force Homeless Off Streets Without Providing More Shelters

The Federal Circuit Appeals Court ruled that cities in the western U.S. cannot force the homeless off of the streets unless communities provide more shelters. However, the court is divided with some judges claiming that the homeless occupying public spaces is destroying the quality of life.

The Federal Circuit Appeals Court for the Ninth Circuit once again refused to allow cities in the western U.S. to force homeless individuals off of the streets unless the communities provide more shelters. Big and small cities have attempted but failed to overturn the Federal Circuit Appeals Court’s ruling for years.

An article in Audacy states that the most recent crisis comes from the city of Grants Pass in the state of Oregon. Mayor Sara Bristol stated that the Federal Circuit Appeals Court’s ruling emphasized the political divisions in the city and the county of Josephine. In Los Angeles, the city was also compelled to allow encampments due to a shortage of shelters.

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Division in the Federal Circuit Appeals Court

However, according to Wait, the Federal Circuit Appeals Court is divided with an increasing number of judges appointed by former U.S. President Donald Trump claiming that the homeless destroy the quality of life in the cities by occupying public spaces.

Furthermore, conservative Judge Milan Smith Jr. states that the homeless define the public health and safety crisis in the western U.S. The most recent homeless count revealed that the population escalated in Venice and West Los Angeles.

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