The outrageous ruling by the Supreme Court to overturn the federal eviction moratorium threatens to put 11 million people out onto the streets in the midst of a deadly resurgence of the pandemic. The ruling was issued in a particularly cowardly way. Using the “shadow docket” process, the court declined to even hold a full hearing on the matter and issued an expedited decision that was announced late at night. They sided with big landlords’ “right to exclude” and make a profit over tenants’ right to live.

An act of Congress establishing a new moratorium would be shielded from a legal challenge, and could go much further than the eviction freeze ordered by the CDC -- which was temporary and left out some parts of the country. By eliminating the filibuster or inserting it into the budget bill currently under debate, this could be passed without needing a single Republican vote.