Legal Advocacy & Impact Litigation

We work strategically and collaboratively with co-counsel partners, community organizations, and named plaintiffs to bring impact litigation that represents broad classes of children and youth across multiple public systems.

Browse Legal Cases

Focus AreaCase Jurisdiction

StatusCase TypeLocation

Committee to Defend Reproductive Rights v. Myers

Filing Date1981-05-08

NCYL staff attorney Abigail English, working with other advocates, won a ruling from the California Supreme Court that poor, pregnant women, including teenagers, have a right under the California Constitution to state funding for abortions as well as for prenatal care.

Inactive

Terry D. v. Rader

Filing Date1978-05-08

Working with Legal Aid of Western Oklahoma, NCYL attorneys, including David Lambert, challenged appalling conditions and practices in Oklahoma training schools, including hog-tying, beatings, and lengthy periods of solitary confinement. The lawsuit resulted in the closure of five juvenile institutions.

Inactive

Bryan Independent School District

Filing Date2013-02-20

Bryan Independent School District's use of school resource officers to issue criminal sanctions for a range of minor student misbehavior unlawfully impacts African-American students, who are "cited" at a rate four times that of other students, according to a complaint filed by attorneys with Texas Appleseed, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National Center for Youth Law.

Inactive

Dyer v. California Interscholastic Federation

Filing Date2008-11-01

On November 24, 2008, NCYL won a major case in California, securing fair and equal treatment of foster youth who play high school sports. The victory has led to major changes affecting thousands of foster youth.

Inactive

Sanchez v. California Interscholastic Federation

Filing Date2015-02-02

This case filed in Trinity County, California Superior Court involved the rights of homeless youth to fully participate in school, including extracurricular activities. CIF, the governing body of interscholastic sports in California, had wrongfully delayed and blocked homeless student Zachary Sanchez from playing sports.

Inactive

Browse Resources

Know Your Rights: Student Protests

To help students know their rights when it comes to First Amendment activity on school campuses, NCYL has compiled the following resources

The Urgent Need for Child-Centered Artificial Intelligence Policies

Never before in all of human history have the sleek threads of technology been so tightly woven into the tender fabric of a child’s daily existence. In the arena of technology and artificial intelligence, where innovation and implementation are developing at extraordinary speed, children and youth are being presented with extraordinary opportunities for learning and entertainment as well as substantial risks to their well-being and rights.

What to do if your student experiences harassment in Williamson County Public Schools

Addressing identity-based bullying or harassment in public schools

When your child first tells you they are being bullied based on their identity, it can be an emotionally triggering discovery. As you navigate your conversation, collect the following information to help you best advocate for your child’s well-being.

Beware the Fine Print

This issue brief will highlight where and how those costs are imposed, how they challenge system-involved youth and families, and recommendations for systemic change.