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November 24, 2008 - NCYL won a major case in California, securing fair and equal treatment of foster youth who play high school sports. This victory could potentially affect thousands of foster youth in the state.
David C. (formerly David C. v. Leavitt) is a child welfare reform class action brought in 1993, on behalf of all foster children and children reported as abused or neglected in the state of Utah. NCYL and Utah officials signed an agreement to end the case in May 2007. The system is now regarded as a national model.
December 13, 2007 - The state’s largest and most influential groups advocating for homeless individuals with mental illness have sued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to restore a highly effective program they say is vital to their clients’ safety and well-being.
A class action lawsuit filed in August 2006, against Nevada Gov. Kenneth C. Guinn, state Health and Human Services Director Michael Willden, and Clark County officials for failing to protect the health and safety of children in Clark County's child welfare system.
This case was originally brought in August 1998, on behalf of 13 current and former foster children seeking damages for injuries plaintiffs suffered as a result of state agency’s practice of shuttling them from one foster home and facility to another.
NCYL is co-counsel in this child welfare reform class action against the California Department of Health Services, Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services, and the California Department of Social Services, seeking the establishment and implementation of a community-based mental health service delivery system for California’s children in state foster care or at imminent risk of out-of-home placement.
NCYL is co-counsel, seeking a writ of mandate directing DSS to administer the Adoption Assistance Program in accordance with the law and directing Respondent Dennis Boyle, Director of the California Department of Social Services, to withdraw his department’s approval of the Modified Specialized Care Program.
Lawyers representing Arizona’s Medicaid-eligible children filed J.K. v. Dillenberg, now J.K. v. Eden, a class action lawsuit seeking improved access to behavioral health care.
The National Center for Youth Law join twelve other Amici organizations in this case to urge the United States Supreme Court to grant certiorari to review a 30-year mandatory minimum sentence without the possibility of parole imposed on a 12-year-old child in the State of South Carolina. The Amici Brief analyzes why such a lengthy mandatory sentence that does not take into consideration the age of the child at the time of the offense violates the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the United States Constitution.
In 1997, Gary Flakes was charged with murder in adult court, in connection with an incident that occurred when Gary was 16 years old, pursuant to Colorado’s direct file statute. NCYL's amicus brief argues that the sentencing provisions of the direct file statute in Colorado are unconstitutional, violating equal protection, contravening separation of powers principles, and denying the due process rights of Gary Flakes and other similarly situated youth.
A class action lawsuit against the California Department of Health Services. Plaintiffs, Medi-Cal providers and beneficiaries, sought injunctive relief from an impending 5% reduction in the reimbursement rate paid to providers, claiming that this reduction would violate the Medicaid statute’s quality of care and equal access provisions.
The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that a Yakima Juvenile Court Commissioner improperly used the court’s “inherent” contempt powers to sentence children to up to 60 days in jail for running away from foster care. The Supreme Court, in its December 20, 2007 ruling, substantially limited the use of the controversial “inherent contempt” procedure.
On March 1, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit the execution of individuals who were under the age of 18 when they committed their crimes. In doing so, the Court recognized that significant differences in brain development exist between adolescents and adults and that these differences diminish the level of culpability of juveniles, a position advocated by the amici groups, including NCYL.
More NCYL amici cases
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