Eviction Moratorium

In late June, the Supreme Court “denied a request by a group of Alabama real estate agents to block a federal moratorium on evictions that was imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Justice Brett Kavanaugh provided the key vote to leave the moratorium in place, joining Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices. Kavanaugh wrote that, although he agrees with the real estate agents that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it issued the ban, he nonetheless voted to leave the ban in place because it is scheduled to expire soon.” (SCOTUSblog)

“A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lacked authority for the national moratorium it imposed last year on most residential evictions to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. The ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati means judges in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan are no longer bound by the moratorium… The moratorium is set to expire on July 31 and the Biden administration said in June it would not grant further extensions.” (Reuters)

The right opposes the eviction moratorium, arguing that it is both illegal and bad policy.

The left urges state and local governments to distribute rental aid more expeditiously and also to enact stronger tenant protections.