WASHINGTON – Two years after the Supreme Court said cities can punish homeless people for sleeping in public places, Alabama wants the high court to end protections for public begging.
The constitutional issues are different. In 2024, the court said fining or jailing someone for sleeping outside when there are no available shelter beds doesn’t violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
In Alabama’s pending appeal, the state argues begging was widely criminalized at the start of the nation so should not be protected speech under the First Amendment.
While the legal strategy may be a longshot, Alabama hopes the justices will want to hear its appeal for one of the same reasons an Oregon city’s sleeping ban was taken up: local governments’ pleas for help with the nation’s growing homelessness problem.
More: In major decision, Supreme Court allows cities to ban homeless camps
