Supreme Court ends CDC's pandemic eviction moratorium with no hearings, over liberal dissent

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority late Thursday allowed eviction proceedings to resume for as many as 3.5 million people, blocking a Biden administration ban on evictions in areas hard-hit by COVID-19. The court majority, in an unsigned option, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had exceeded its authority in issuing the temporary moratorium, and "if a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it."

The Supreme Court was ruling on whether the moratorium remained in effect while lower courts considered the challenge from landlords represented by the Georgia and Alabama chapters of the National Association of Realtors. But since the CDC's latest moratorium, issued Aug. 3, only lasted until Oct. 3, the court effectively quashed it. This was the Biden administration's second loss this week before the Supreme Court's "shadow docket" of unsigned, short "emergency" rulings issued with little briefing, no oral arguments, and frequently significant policy outcomes.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.