‘Cruel, unusual’ local anti-homeless laws to get high court hearing
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to review lowercourt rulings that make it harder for cities in the western United States to prevent people from sleeping on the streets when there aren’t enough beds in homeless shelters.
The justices will hear an appeal from the city of Grants Pass, in southwest Oregon, that has the backing of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, as well as other Democratic and Republican elected officials who have struggled to deal with homelessness brought on by rising housing costs and income inequality.
The court’s action comes a day after a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower-court ruling blocking anti-camping ordinances in San Francisco, where Newsom was once mayor.
A separate 9th Circuit panel ruled in the Oregon case that Grants Pass could not enforce local ordinances that prohibit homeless people “from using a blanket, pillow, or cardboard box for protection from the elements.” The decision applies across nine western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
The two rulings, like a 2018 decision from the 9th Circuit in a case from Boise, Idaho, found that punishing people for sleeping on the streets when no alternative shelter is available amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the Constitution.
It’s unclear whether the case will be argued in the spring or the fall.
Ga. prosecutor probed: The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee launched a probe Friday of the Fulton County special prosecutor accused in a court filing of financially benefiting from an “improper” relationship with District Attorney Fani Willis.
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan is seeking invoices from the prosecutor, Nathan Wade, about travel and legal expenses involving the election interference case against Donald Trump. Jordan also is requesting information about an alleged meeting between Wade and members of the House’s Jan. 6 Committee in Washington.
Jordan, a close Trump ally, has made a series of requests scrutinizing Willis’ handling of the racketeering case against Trump and 14 other remaining defendants. He has accused her of attempting to interfere with the 2024 vote.
The latest comes after bombshell allegations that Willis improperly hired Wade, claims that have energized Republican critics of the case.
Willis and Wade have yet to respond to the allegations, sparking concern among their allies. A spokesman has said the office will address them in an upcoming court filing, but the timing is unclear.
Biden backs Austin: President Joe Biden said Friday that it was a lapse in judgment for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to not tell him about his hospitalization last week, but he still has confidence in his Pentagon chief.
Speaking to reporters as he toured local businesses outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, Biden said “yes” when asked if it was a lapse in judgment for Austin not to tell him about his condition. He replied “I do” when asked if he still had confidence in Austin’s leadership.
Austin, 70, remains hospitalized as he is being treated for complications from prostate cancer surgery. His failure to disclose his hospitalization has been sharply criticized by members of both political parties and has led some to call for his resignation.
Myanmar truce: Myanmar’s military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country’s northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday. Myanmar’s military government confirmed the development, as did the ethnic alliance.
The agreement was brokered at talks China mediated Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 250 miles from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing in Beijing.
“China hopes the relevant parties in Myanmar can conscientiously implement the agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other and solve the issues through dialogue and consultations,” she said.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson of Myanmar’s ruling military council, said in an audio note to journalists that the two sides had met in Kunming and, after talks, agreed on a temporary cease-fire agreement.
“We will continue discussions. We will continue to work for the strengthening of the cease-fire,” Zaw Min Tun said.
A previous cease-fire pact reached in mid-december was not honored by either side.
Russia-ukraine war: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled new military funding for Ukraine during a visit Friday to Kyiv aimed at reassuring the country that the West is still providing support nearly 23 months after Russia’s invasion.
The package, worth $3.2 billion over the next fiscal year, is the largest the U.K. has given to Ukraine since the war began, surpassing previous annual commitments by $233 million, the British government said.
The package will pay for long-range missiles, thousands of drones, air defense, artillery ammunition and maritime security, Sunak’s office said. It comes at a time when financial aid from the U.S. and Europe is tied up by political wrangling,
“We are not walking away,” Sunak said at a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian officials welcomed the U.K. announcement, pointing to it as evidence that Western support for its fight against its bigger neighbor is not waning, as some have feared.
Navy officer released: A Navy officer who had been jailed in Japan over a car crash that killed two Japanese citizens was released Friday from U.S. custody, one month after he was returned to the United States and placed in a federal prison, his family said.
Lt. Ridge Alkonis was ordered released by the U.S. Parole Commission, according to the Justice Department and a family statement that described the extra detention in a Los Angeles detention facility as “unnecessary.” He spent 537 days locked up in either Japan or the U.S.
“He is now back home with his family, where he belongs. We will have more to say in time, but for now, we are focused on welcoming Ridge home and respectfully ask for privacy,” the statement said. Alkonis’s family is from Southern California.
Alkonis was serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the negligent driving deaths of a woman and her son-in-law in May 2021. Alkonis’ family has said he lost consciousness while on a trip to Mount Fuji. Japanese prosecutors maintained that he fell asleep while drowsy and shirked a duty to pull over.