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

E.L. v. Claps

Filing Date2025-10-28
The National Center for Youth Law joins with co-counsel Public Justice, Civil Rights Corps, Maxted Law, Spero Justice Center, and Singleton Schreiber in representing children and families in the third case filed under the national Right 2 Hug project. It seeks to end Adams County’s unlawful and profit-driven visitation ban by restoring in-person, contact visitation between children and their parents.
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LGML v. Noem

Filing Date2025-08-01
This lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s unlawful plan to secretly remove unaccompanied Guatemalan children from the United States. The National Center for Youth Law, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) serve together as co-counsel.
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Lucas R. v. Azar

Filing Date2018-06-29
In 2018, NCYL and co-counsel filed Lucas R. v. Azar, which alleges violations of rights afforded to unaccompanied immigrant children under the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes, and the Flores Settlement Agreement.
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Black Parallel School Board v. Sacramento City Unified School District

Filing Date2019-09-06
The suit alleges flagrant districtwide disability and race discrimination against students with disabilities, especially Black students. 
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Flores v. Reno

Filing Date1985-07-11
NCYL and co-counsel filed Flores v. Reno in 1985 to address the egregious harms immigrant children in federal custody faced. The case was settled in 1997 and remains under the supervision of U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee in the Central District of California.
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J.N. v. Oregon Department of Education

Filing Date2019-01-22
The State of Oregon has effectively denied hundreds of children with disabilities the opportunity to attend school for a full day, in violation of federal laws, the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Rehabilitation Act.
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M.J. v. The District of Columbia

Filing Date2018-08-01
This class action was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on behalf of all Medicaid-eligible District of Columbia children who have a mental health disability and are not receiving medically necessary intensive community-based services as required by federal law.
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Angelica S. v. HHS

Filing Date2025-05-08
In May 2025, the National Center for Youth Law and co-counsel Democracy Forward filed Angelica S. v. HHS, which challenges new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policies that have resulted in the separation of families and the prolonged detention of unaccompanied children in federal immigration custody.
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Duchitanga v. Lloyd

Filing Date2018-11-06
In 2018, as part of the National Center for Youth Law's efforts to keep immigrant children in communities rather than in government custody, we filed, in partnership with the New York Civil Liberties Union and American Civil Liberties Union, Duchitanga v. Lloyd.
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Browse Resources

Focus AreaAudience
Location
Kit de Herramientas de Promoción Federal para Padres y Cuidadores

Kit de Herramientas de Promoción Federal para Padres y Cuidadores

Este kit de herramientas imparcial tiene como objetivo ayudar a los padres y cuidadores a dar sus primeros pasos, junto con sus hijos, para participar en la defensa de los temas que les importan a ellos y a sus familias a nivel federal en los Estados Unidos.
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Newcomer Immigrant Youth in the Bay Area: Uplifting Voices, Identifying Solutions

Newcomer Immigrant Youth in the Bay Area: Uplifting Voices, Identifying Solutions

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Legal FAQ: Supporting Inclusive Education in California after Mahmoud v. Taylor

Legal FAQ: Supporting Inclusive Education in California after Mahmoud v. Taylor

This resource is intended to support California public school leaders in continuing to provide inclusive education in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, issued in June 2025. Please note, this resource was created for educational purposes only and is not legal advice.
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The Unraveling of ORR: A Quick and Calculated Undoing of a System Intended to Protect Children

The Unraveling of ORR: A Quick and Calculated Undoing of a System Intended to Protect Children

Unaccompanied children in federal custody who would ordinarily have been released to their parents or other sponsors are trapped in custody because of the government’s new policies and sponsor vetting processes.
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In Harm’s Way: The Persistence of Unjust Discipline Experienced by California’s Students

In Harm’s Way: The Persistence of Unjust Discipline Experienced by California’s Students

The purpose of this report is to demonstrate that California’s educators continue to kick students out of school at disparate and high rates, mostly for minor misconduct, and that students in the foster system and those experiencing homelessness are being removed from school at far higher rates than others.
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Federal Advocacy Toolkit for Parents and Caregivers

Federal Advocacy Toolkit for Parents and Caregivers

This non-partisan toolkit is intended to help parents and caregivers to take their first steps, alongside their child(ren), to engage in federal advocacy in the United States, on issues that matter to them and their families. 
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Youth Justice in the United States: Rollbacks & the Fight for Reform

Youth Justice in the United States: Rollbacks & the Fight for Reform

Over the past two decades, the U.S. cut youth incarceration by 75%, replacing punishment with community-based programs, restorative justice, and trauma-informed care that improved both public safety and young lives. But this hard-won progress is now at risk.
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