| Martin v. Boise | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit |
| Full case name | Robert Martin, Lawrence Lee Smith, Robert Anderson, Janet F. Bell, Pamela S. Hawkes, and Basil E. Humphrey v. City of Boise |
| Decided | September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14) |
| Court membership | |
| Judges sitting | Marsha S. Berzon, Paul J. Watford, and John B. Owens |
| Case opinions | |
| Decision by | Marsha S. Berzon |
| Concur/dissent | John B. Owens |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. VIII Boise City Code §§ 9-10-02 and 6-01-05 | |
| Abrogated by | |
| City of Grants Pass v. Johnson (2024) | |
Martin v. Boise (full case name Robert Martin, Lawrence Lee Smith, Robert Anderson, Janet F. Bell, Pamela S. Hawkes, and Basil E. Humphrey v. City of Boise) was a 2018 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding anti-camping ordinances targeting homeless people, effectively overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024.
The decision was in response to a 2009 lawsuit by six homeless plaintiffs against the city of Boise, Idaho regarding the city's anti-camping ordinance. The ruling held that cities cannot enforce anti-camping ordinances if they do not have enough homeless shelter beds available for their homeless population. It did not necessarily mean a city cannot enforce any restrictions on camping on public property.
The decision was based on the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the case, leaving the precedent intact in the nine Western states under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington), but in 2024, the Supreme Court effectively overturned Martin v. Boise in its City of Grants Pass v. Johnson decision denying the extension of cruel and unusual punishment to anti-camping ordinances.
History
In 2009, after a local homeless shelter in Boise closed, six people were cited for violations of a city ordinance that made it illegal to sleep on public property. Homeless plaintiffs represented by Howard Belodoff filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of anti-camping ordinance that punish homeless individuals that cannot sleep elsewhere.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision striking down anti-camping ordinances when applied to homeless individuals still allowed state and local governments to enact time, place, and manner restrictions on the population's ability to camp on public land.
In 2021, the city settled the lawsuit by agreeing to spend $1.3 million for additional shelter spaces, compensate $435,000 for the plaintiffs' attorneys fees, amend ordinances on public sleeping, and train police officers not to arrest homeless individuals whenever local shelters are full. People who are offered appropriate available shelter space, but refuse to go could still be cited, under the settlement.
In 2024, the Supreme Court effectively overturned Martin v. Boise in its City of Grants Pass v. Johnson decision denying the extension of cruel and unusual punishment to anti-camping ordinances.
References
- ^ Dougherty, Conor (December 3, 2019). "How Far Can Cities Go to Police the Homeless? Boise Tests the Limit - A decade-old legal fight shapes a mayoral race and offers the Supreme Court a chance to weigh in". The New York Times.
- Greenstone, Scott (September 6, 2019). "How a federal court ruling on Boise's homeless camping ban has rippled across the West". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- Smith, Erika (December 16, 2019). "Supreme Court decision on homeless case is a blow to cities wanting more policing powers". Los Angeles Times.
The high court declined to hear a landmark case on homelessness, letting stand a ruling that amounts to a broad curb on police powers in nine Western states, including California, to stop people from sleeping on public property if no other shelter is available.
- Sisson, Patrick (April 5, 2019). "Homeless people gain 'de facto right' to sleep on sidewalks through federal court". Curbed. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- Clift, Theresa; Yoon-Hendricks, Alexandra (December 17, 2019). "U.S. Supreme Court won't hear Boise homeless ruling. Here's what it means for Sacramento". The Sacramento Bee.
"Some would argue it's very broad and would be difficult for a local county or jurisdiction to balance the needs of homeless residents and other residents," county counsel Lisa Travis said. One way to achieve that balance might be to approve a new policy outlining the specific locations and times of day a homeless person could sleep on public property. The Boise decision does not explicitly ban making these kinds of restrictions. For example, the city of Sacramento allows homeless to sit or sleep on the ground outside City Hall at night, but not during the day.
- Harding, Hayley (February 8, 2021). "Boise will settle controversial homeless camping lawsuit, change city code". Los Angeles Times.
- City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, 23–175 (U.S. 28 June 2024).
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