SCOTUS rules cities may ban homeless encampments | LiveNOW from FOX

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for cities and municipalities to enforce bans on the homeless sleeping outside in public places on Friday.

The case is SCOTUS's most significant ruling on the issue in decades and comes as a rising number of people in the US are without a permanent place to live. In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the high court found that outdoor sleeping bans don’t violate the Eighth Amendment.

Cities in the western US had argued that the ruling made it harder to manage outdoor encampments in public spaces, but homeless advocates said punishing people who need a place to sleep would criminalize homelessness.

In California, which is home to one-third of the country’s homeless population, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said the decision gives state and local officials the authority to clear “unsafe encampments” from the streets while acting with compassion. “This decision removes the legal ambiguities that have tied the hands of local officials for years,” he said.

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