SCOTUS ruled Thursday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acted unlawfully by rolling out the eviction ban in August.

The court majority’s opinion said Congress must authorize any federally imposed eviction pause. The three liberal justices who dissented to the ruling cited the rise in COVID-19 cases and the delta variant. 

Why did the CDC act on the moratorium? The CDC issued the two-month order after the earlier pause ended on July 31. The Supreme Court allowed that earlier decision to stand, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who cast the deciding vote, said any further extension would require action from Congress.

House Democrats were unable to pull together a legislative deal, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Senate was unlikely to take up the issue anyway. The CDC then issued its new ban a few days later. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the decision a disappointment, saying, “As a result of this ruling, families will face the painful impact of evictions, and communities across the country will face greater risk of exposure.”

—With reporting from J.C. Derrick

This story originally appeared in WORLD. © 2021, reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.