June 28, 2024

Congresswoman Bush Statement on Supreme Court Grants Pass v Johnson Decision

Washington, D.C. (Jun. 28, 2024) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the statement following today’s Supreme Court Case decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, where a 6-3 majority ruled that cities are allowed to jail, ticket, or fine people for sleeping outside, even in cases where there are no shelter options available. The Court held that enforcement of public camping laws—including those that criminalize sleeping outside—do not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

“As someone who has been unhoused, I know that no one ever plans to be homeless. Punishing our most vulnerable and marginalized communities for our government’s failure to house its own people is heinous – and that’s exactly what the Supreme Court has greenlit today. Our nation’s highest Court steamrolled the civil and constitutional rights of unhoused people by allowing cities to fine, ticket, or jail people for sleeping outside, even in cases where there is nowhere else for them to go. Penalizing our unhoused neighbors isn’t just cruel and inhumane, it further exacerbates the unhoused crisis by destabilizing people’s lives and increasing the likelihood of people becoming chronically homeless. Nearly 40 percent of the unhoused population is Black, and Black people are among the most at risk of being criminalized, surveilled, and harassed. We will not allow this MAGA Court to get away with this vile act of inhumanity. We will continue to fight to reform and expand the Court, while simultaneously championing real, tangible solutions to the unhoused crisis like my Unhoused Bill of Rights, universal housing vouchers, permanent federal rental assistance programs, and guaranteeing housing as a human right.”

This April, Congresswoman Bush led 18 Democratic colleagues in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court arguing that penalizing homeless individuals without available shelter violates the Eighth Amendment, and further spoke out in front of the Court urging the Court to uphold the constitutional rights of unhoused individuals. Yesterday, Congresswoman Bush, alongside Professor Stephanie Sena, published an op-ed ahead of this decision, titled: “Whose Streets? Our Streets?”.

While in Congress, Congresswoman Bush has repeatedly shared her personal experience with being unhoused, which has guided her fierce and consistent advocacy for affordable housing and rights of the unhoused community. 

• Out of the $13.7 million Congresswoman Bush secured in this year's Community Project Funding, approximately $4.5 million went to various housing and housing-related projects across the district.

• In May, Congresswoman Bush and her fellow Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness led their colleagues in a letter to House Appropriations calling for robust federal investments in homeless services and programs.

• In December 2023, Congresswoman Bush—in her capacity as Vice Chair of the Criminalization of Poverty on the Poverty Task Force and Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness—led a member-level briefing educating members of Congress about how the federal government can decriminalize homelessness. 

• In March 2023, Congresswoman Bush joined her fellow Co-Chairs to re-establish the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness—a caucus dedicated to educating members of Congress and their staff on the complex issues faced by unhoused persons.

• In July 2023, Congresswoman Bush reintroduced the Unhoused Bill of Rights, a resolution which declares unalienable rights for unhoused persons and provides solutions for the federal government to permanently end the crisis by 2027.

• In February 2023, Congresswoman Bush joined Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) in sending letters to Greystar Real Estate and the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) to ensure renters’ rights are being protected during the tenant screening process. 

• In August 2021, Congresswoman Bush led several of her fellow members of Congress in a 5-day demonstration on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to extend the federal eviction moratorium in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

• In September 2021, Congresswoman Bush, alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), introduced the Keeping Renters Safe Act of 2021 to enact an urgently needed nationwide eviction moratorium.

• Last Congress, Congresswoman Bush introduced the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) Improvement Act to bolster renters’ access to financial assistance during the pandemic.

In addition to housing justice, Congresswoman Bush is also pushing for judicial reform. Alongside Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Hank Johnson (GA-04), and Adam Schiff (CA-30), Congresswoman Bush introduced the Judiciary Act, legislation that would expand the Supreme Court by adding four seats to create a 13-Justice bench. Just last month, Congresswoman Bush called for the resignation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and in April 2023, Congresswoman Bush called for the impeachment of Justice Clarence Thomas after a barrage of ethics scandals.