Federal Judge Overturns National Eviction Moratorium

A federal court ruled to vacate a nationwide moratorium on evictions, which was put in place to protect renters during the pandemic.

In a ruling  on Wednesday, Judge Dabney Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2017 , overturned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s ban on evictions — a victory for landlords. The ruling places millions of people who have fallen behind on rent due to the COVID-19 crisis at risk of eviction.

President Joe Biden had previously extended the ban on evictions through June.

“The question for the Court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not,” Friedrich wrote in the ruling . 

Housing advocates are urging the Department of Justice to appeal the decision. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.  

Evictions disproportionately affect people of color, especially women of color . Last month, over 11 million renters in the U.S. reported having “slight” or no confidence in being able to pay next month’s rent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau .