After gaining lots of traction nationwide and garnering many briefs sent to the courts asking for the case to be heard, the request by Safehouse in Philadelphia was rejected by the Supreme Court. This means that no decision would be had on the issue.
Safe Injection Sites are professionally supervised rooms where those addicted to illicit substances are offered supervision and clean needles in order to prevent overdoses in less sanitary conditions.
This specific Safe Injection Site, Safehouse in Philadelphia, has had a rocky road, after being approved then effectively shut down by the Trump Administration.
The site’s legal future now lies in the lower federal courts, which may ultimately be a kinder arena for them, considering the Republican lean of the country’s highest court. A vote not in their favor could have ended up being more damaging than a battle in the lower courts.
“We were disappointed that the government chose not to respond to our petition,” Safehouse Vice President Ronda Goldfein told Filter. “They said, ‘We’re going to waive our right to respond,’ [and] the Supreme Court declined to review our case. Ordinarily that sounds like the end of the road—but in our case we are still pursuing our claims in a different venue.”
In the federal court in Philadelphia, the Biden Administration will have to lay their cards on the table and reveal a stance on this issue by November 5th. Otherwise, they’ll lose the case by default.
Safehouse’s strategy lies in “religious freedom.” “The court cannot tell us we’re not allowed to follow our faith. In this instance we say, ‘As people of faith and conscience, we believe that if you can save a life, you must save a life.’”
This feels rather thin to my ears, but we’ll see just how far the religious argument can be taken in the case.
Read the original story at Filter Mag.
