50 Year Legacy

National Center for Youth Law has advanced justice for children and youth since 1971. Civil rights is our legacy. Center Youth is our promise.

Case establishes basic rights of children in foster care

Braam Lawsuit Vindicates Constitutional Rights of Foster Children in Washington State

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The 1970s

Founded as the Youth Law Center in 1971, we became the National Center for Youth Law in 1978. Throughout the 1970s, our work led to sweeping reforms.

1971	Reforming Texas Juvenile Institutions, Where Youth Were “Tortured and Terrorized”
1974	Watershed Supreme Court Ruling Upholds Rights of Non-English Speaking Students
1975	Supreme Court Rules that Double Jeopardy Protections Apply to Juvenile Proceedings
1977	Lawsuit Prompts Major Reforms, Ends Practice of “Hog-Tying,” in Oklahoma’s Juvenile Institutions

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The 1980s

Throughout the 1980s, NCYL continued to pursue groundbreaking impact litigation, expand its policy work and serve as a resource for community-based legal programs that offered direct legal services to individuals with limited financial resources.

1984	NCYL Establishes Itself As Expert in Adolescent Health Law with Early Court Wins
1986	Class Action Lawsuit Spurs Major Reforms in Arizona’s Juvenile Institutions
1988	Congress Extends Housing Protections to Families with Children

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The 1990s

By the 1990s, NCYL was one of just a handful of youth-focused organizations that pursued and achieved broad impact in multiple jurisdictions.

1990	Supreme Court Strikes Down Regulations Limiting Disabled Children’s Benefits
1991	Lawsuit Transforms Utah’s Child Welfare System
1994	Lawsuit Shines Spotlight on Arkansas Child Welfare System
1998	Lawsuit Vindicates Constitutional Rights of Foster Children in Washington State

The 2000s and Beyond

National Center for Youth Law has continued to expand our work to include impact litigation, policy advocacy, collaboration and research that fundamentally transforms our nation's approach to education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice.