A federal judge overturned the Centers for Disease Control’s nationwide ban on evictions.
On Wednesday, May 5, D.C. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled the CDC does not have legal authority to freeze evictions nationwide.
The CDC invoked the 1944 Public Health Service Act, to prevent the spread of communicable diseases between states.
However, Judge Friedrich ruled Wednesday that the CDC did not have the legal authority to impose a nationwide freeze on evictions.
According to Bloomberg, $47 billion in federal aid was slow to reach cash-strapped landlords who were forced to sell their properties to wealthy investors.
The eviction moratorium included all federally backed residential properties nationwide for tenants earning less than $99,000 in annual income.
The CDC had extended the eviction moratorium twice. Judge Friedrich ruled that the CDC overstepped its authority by extending the eviction freeze.
Landlords who violated the eviction moratorium faced fines up to $250,000, one year in jail, or both.
Many landlords filed lawsuits, claiming that the CDC exceeded its authority.
The Biden administration had sought to extend the eviction moratorium through June 30.
