A group of landlords in New Jersey has lost a round in court.
The landlords argued that an executive order signed by Governor Murphy at the height of the pandemic, which let tenants use their security deposits to pay rent, was unconstitutional.
But a state appeals court ruled that the governor was within his authority to sign the order under the Disaster Control Act.
Unemployment spiked at the time Murphy signed the order.
More than 70,000 evictions have been filed since April 2020, and housing advocates warn of an eviction tsunami once the public health emergency ends.