The Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, a case that could decide how the country deals with its ever-growing homeless problem. The question before them: is it a violation of the Eighth Amendment protection against “cruel and unusual punishment” to ban sleeping or camping in public spaces, as the plaintiffs argue?
The plaintiffs are Gloria Johnson and John Logan, two homeless people who are represented by attorney Kelsi B. Corkran.
The court was in session for over two hours:
The justices seemed split along ideological lines in the case, which has sweeping implications for how the country deals with a growing homelessness crisis.
In a lengthy and, at times, fiery argument that lasted almost two and a half hours, questioning from the justices reflected the complexity of the homelessness debate. They weighed the status of poverty and…
