SALEM, Ore. – Governor Tina Kotek is weighing in on the Grants Pass homeless case that was recently heard by the Supreme Court.
The case regards criminalizing sleeping in public spaces when there is no shelter available and last week marked the first oral arguments in our nation’s highest court.
Several cities have joined the lawsuit, including the City of San Diego and the case is expected to have large implications once the Supreme Court delivers its ruling.
Governor Kotek said there are some disagreements between Josephine County and Grants Pass that have made the situation more complicated.
“I do think punishing people by fining them and throwing them in jail for being unsheltered goes too far,” Governor Kotek said, “I will be interested to see what the Supreme Court says, because it will have implications across the country.”
A court ruled against Grants Pass in 2022 and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a re-hearing of the case last year.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected to come by June or July.
In her press conference today, the governor also announced she will not be creating an ‘office of the first spouse’ for her wife Aimee Kotek Wilson.
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