Eviction ban struck down, then reinstated … for now

A federal judge said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overstepped its authority by imposing a moratorium on evictions last year. The ruling came down May 5, 2021, from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Justice Department immediately appealed and the judge stayed the ruling pending appeal.

The May ruling was only the latest against the moratorium. Already, judges in Texas and Ohio had made similar statements about the CDC’s overreach.

In March, the CDC extended the eviction ban until June 30, 2021. The extension did not sit well with many landlords, some of whom are owed thousands of dollars in past-due rents.

The moratorium was originally put in place to help keep families who had lost their jobs and/or healthcare coverage from having to move into shelters or other crowded settings that could further spread COVID-19. The latest extension was the fourth time the deadline had been moved.

To ease the financial burden of the ban, the government set aside $46 billion for rental assistance relief, but a problematic application process, which varies among the states, seems to be slowing down dissemination of the funds.

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