In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by landlords to terminate the CDC Eviction Moratorium.
As a result of the court action, the eviction ban will not end until July 31.
How it happened
Among the three liberal members of the court, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the majority. Despite his belief that the CDC had exceeded its power, Kavanaugh cast the pivotal vote, allowing the ban to stay in place.
“Because the CDC plans to end the moratorium in only a few weeks, on July 31, and because those few weeks will allow for additional and more orderly distribution of the congressionally appropriated rental assistance funds, I vote at this time to deny the application,” Kavanaugh wrote.
According to a release, Dr. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), earlier signed an extension to the eviction moratorium that will prevent tenants who will not pay rent from being evicted. This moratorium has been extended until July 31, 2021. It was meant to end on June 30, 2021.
According to the CDC, this is the final extension of the moratorium.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health. Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings — like homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19,” the CDC said in the release.
Counter: Targeted relief is more effective than an eviction moratorium
The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) pointed out in a release that the one-size-fits-all federal eviction moratorium is not in line with the significant progress made in controlling COVID-19.
The NMHC said that “the pandemic has already shown that targeted, efficient relief works.
We will continue to implement real-world solutions for renters facing housing instability and help the country recover as we transition away from unsustainable moratoriums. “NMHC looks forward to working with the administration on proactive, comprehensive solutions and to highlighting the efforts our members have made over the past year to support and assist their residents,” the organization stated in the release.
Council members previously released a set of guidelines called industry principles that provided concrete suggestions on how housing providers can work with residents in a cooperative manner while proving good faith to residents.
