May 10, 2024
City Councils all across the country have been tackling an issue that has bipartisan concern: how to tackle homeless populations within their cities. Grants Pass, OR., is one such city. Grants Pass is in the middle of the Supreme Court case Johnson v. Grants Pass that is challenging that city’s ability to levy civil and criminal punishments to deter homeless encampments. A Supreme Court decision is expected this summer. To help our student panel understand the broad implications of this Supreme Court case and the “strait jacket” put on cities by lower courts to enforce their ordinances, we are delighted to welcome Thomas Jipping, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation for this timely chat.