Trump-appointed judge puts millions at risk of losing homes by overturning federal eviction ban

A Trump-appointed judge on Wednesday put millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes in the coming months after overturning the nationwide eviction ban put in place during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

CNBC reports that U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich of the District of Columbia sided with property owners in his ruling, which struck down the moratorium on evictions that has been in effect since September and was recently extended by President Joe Biden.

Property owners sued the federal government over its eviction moratorium by arguing that they cannot make ends meet as long as they are barred from evicting tenants who are delinquent in their payments.

As CNBC notes, however, this could result in a massive displacement of Americans during a time when the country is just starting to turn the corner on the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"Some 1 in 5 renters across the U.S. are behind on their payments amid the pandemic, and states are scrambling to disburse more than $45 billion in rental assistance," the network reports.