The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Grants Pass v. Johnson on April 22, 2024, an Oregon case on whether punishing homeless residents violates the Eighth Amendment.
Jeremiah Hayden / Street Roots
A case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court centers around this question: Can cities punish people for living outdoors if there’s no other place for them to go? The court’s ruling, which could come as early as June, could change homelessness policy nationwide — and it all started in Grants Pass, Oregon.
Street Roots Newspaper reporter Jeremiah Hayden spent time in Grants Pass and covered oral arguments in Washington, DC. He joins us to share some of the voices of Oregonians behind the legal case, and to consider what the case could mean for cities in across the country.
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