In an unsigned “per curiam” opinion — supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/21a23_ap6c.pdf — the US Supreme Court tonight ruled that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lacks legal authority for an extension of a nationwide eviction moratorium past July, immediately placing an estimated 3.5 million Americans at risk of homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three justices, regarded as liberals, filed a signed dissent, unusual for a per curiam ruling.
Unless Congress acts to extend the moratorium by legislation, which is considered politically very unlikely, $47 billion already allocated to pay landlords for back rent may not be disbursed in time to save tenants from eviction.
See our earlier story, including information about how to apply for rent assistance in RI and MA: motifri.com/eviction-october.
