Supreme Court leaves CDC eviction moratorium in place

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is leaving a pandemic-inspired nationwide ban on evictions in place, over the votes of four objecting conservative justices.

The court on Tuesday rejected a plea by landlords to end the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on evicting millions of tenants who aren’t paying rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

Justices Roberts, Kavanaugh, Sotomayor, Breyer, and Kagan made up the majority.

Last week, the Biden administration extended the moratorium by a month, until the end of July.

It said then it did not expect another extension.

U.S. Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington had struck down the moratorium as exceeding the CDC’s authority, but put her ruling on hold.

Many North Carolinians facing the threat of eviction can still remain in their homes through July 31 despite state leaders voting on Tuesday to let a statewide eviction moratorium directive lapse at the end of June.

Eligible renters can fill out a form from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and give it to their landlord if they face eviction because they are unable to pay their rent.

The expiration of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s moratorium is unlikely to cause mass eviction but could lead to some people being kicked out of their homes prematurely.