For Immediate Release

WEST VIRGINIA — The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) applauds Thursday’s Fourth Circuit ruling that affirms the crucial role of federal courts in safeguarding the rights of children in state custody.

The ruling was issued in Jonathan R. v. Morrisey, a West Virginia-based case that asks whether children can seek remedies in federal court for failures of the state’s foster system. It affirms that youth can turn to the federal courts to hold state systems accountable for widespread violations of their rights. Last year, NCYL was joined by 32 other organizations represented by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in submitting an amicus brief that urged the court to preserve federal judicial oversight over foster system reform litigation.

In its ruling, the Fourth Circuit affirmed: “The federal judiciary not only holds the power, but a duty, to implement, oversee, and administer reform of state institutions that violate the federal rights of citizens.”

“Ensuring youths’ constitutional and statutory rights is necessary both for youths’ healthy development and also for the functioning of our democratic society,” said Jean Strout, Senior Attorney at NCYL. “This decision ensures that state institutions can’t escape accountability when children’s federal and constitutional rights are at risk.”

An example of the impact of this ruling: Imagine a teen in the foster system who has moved through a dozen placements in three years while being repeatedly separated from siblings, denied needed mental health services, and housed in hotels because no foster home is available. This young person may want to challenge the state policies that created these harms. One avenue for such a challenge is for this child and other similarly situated youth to seek class-wide relief requiring the state to address systemic deficiencies. But, following the reasoning of the now overturned district court opinion in Jonathan R., a federal court could have concluded that it lacks authority to order the broad reforms needed to fix the problem because doing so would amount to a court “running” the foster system.

On Thursday, the Fourth Circuit affirmed that children in this situation can seek systemic remedies for statewide violations of their rights. This ruling reinforces the principle that no state nor institution is beyond the reach of the rule of law, especially when it impacts vulnerable groups, including children in state custody.

In their amicus brief, NCYL and other civil rights organizations stressed the legacy of institutional reform litigation — cases such as Brown v. Board, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Youngberg v. Romeo — that has demonstrated the vital role of federal courts in protecting the rule of law, dismantling systemic injustice and ending the violation of constitutional rights.

The Fourth Circuit’s decision sends a powerful message to states nationwide: when children seek to hold the government systems that harm them accountable, the doors to this country’s federal courts are open to them.

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The National Center for Youth Law centers youth through research, community collaboration, impact litigation, and policy advocacy that fundamentally transform our nation’s approach to education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice. Our vision is a world in which every child thrives and has a full and fair opportunity to achieve the future they envision for themselves.