The judge is suspended in the eviction moratorium case Business and Economic News

The U.S. Department of Justice believes the release is at risk of spreading COVID-19, as the federal ban on most releases remains in place for the time being.

The order found by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been temporarily halted by a federal judge. he exceeded his authority when he imposed a federal moratorium on eviction to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The stay of the federal judge in Washington (DC) occurred late Wednesday when the Department of Justice filed an emergency appeal. The administrative stay means there will be no immediate effect on the ban, which was extended in March until the end of June.

“According to scientific evidence, the releases exacerbate the spread of COVID-19, which has already killed more than half a million Americans, and the damage that would result from uncontrolled house evictions cannot be undone,” said Brian Boynton, acting attorney general. he said in a note.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich of Washington, D.C., said the stay was not based on the merits of the Justice Department’s argument, but that the judge should be given time to consider the motion and potential opposition.

Opponents of the moratorium, including the National Real Estate Association, welcomed the court’s initial ruling, saying the solution was rent assistance, not a ban on evictions.

The ban on evictions, initially imposed last year, protects renters from worrying that families would lose their homes and go to shelters or share crowded conditions with relatives or friends in a pandemic because the more contagious virus would spread.

Proponents of the ban say it is necessary because the pandemic is still a threat and so much more people are at risk of being released or execution. Nearly four million people in the U.S. have said they will face eviction or execution in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.

National data on dismissal procedures do not match according to researchers at the Eviction Laboratory at Princeton University, but a recent study suggested that more than 1.5 million dismissals were avoided by the government in 2020.

The dismissal moratorium prevented 1.55 million dismissals in 2020, where the discovery was published @SociusJournal today.

This begs the question: why can’t we avoid not only 1.55 million, but all the releases that happen every year? pic.twitter.com/hhjVoyBzAq

– emily honda lemmerman (@e_lemmerman) April 28, 2021

Judge Friedrich said Wednesday that a federal law called the Public Health Services Act, which regulates the response to the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, blocked the CDC moratorium.

The National Real Estate Association welcomed the court’s decision, saying the best solution would be to help tenants pay rent, taxes and electric service bills.

“By guaranteeing rent assistance, strengthening the economy and reducing unemployment rates, it is not necessary to continue with a nationwide dismissal ban,” the group said.

As part of a $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 support bill approved earlier this year, the U.S. Congress has provided $ 30 billion to help people at risk of renting, evicting, or losing their homes.

Friedrich’s initial decision, when enacted, would relieve tenants and landlords who were struggling with delinquent tenants and vacancies. The moratorium was to end on June 30.

The CDC did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

At least 43 states and Washington (DC) have imposed temporary interruptions on headquarters or business layoffs in the COVID-19 crisis, despite uniform protections.

An eviction and moratorium execution It will expire on June 30 for federally funded housing from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The CDC moratorium was passed last September during the administration of former President Donald Trump, and was extended three times, last March during the administration of President Joe Biden.