In a 5-4 split decision, the Washington Supreme Court held that the governor was within his statutory authority to enact an eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic, while a dissenting opinion concluded that state law does not authorize the suspension of statutes.
Washington experienced a particularly early and widespread incidence of COVID-19, having recorded the highest number of cases and the highest per capita rates of infection of any state in the country. Hundreds of new cases were being reported in the state by the end of March 2020, with thousands more likely going unreported, according to the majority opinion.
