A Texas federal judge has just ruled that State officials are violating federal law, causing irreparable harm to thousands of Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) whom they segregate in nursing facilities without mandated services or opportunities for community living. After presiding over a multi-week trial in the class action lawsuit in Steward v. Young, US District Court Judge Orlando L. Garcia from the Western District of Texas issued a 475-page opinion on Tuesday (June 17, 2025).
For decades, the State has unnecessarily institutionalized more than 4000 Texans with IDD in segregated nursing facilities and denied them specialized disability services which are required by federal law. More than a decade ago, twelve individuals with IDD, together with two state-wide disability organizations, filed a class action case asking the federal court to halt these federal law violations. CPR, together with its partners Disability Rights Texas and Sidley Austin LLP, represented the plaintiff class. Shortly thereafter, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened to support the people with disabilities.
In his comprehensive opinion, Judge Garcia ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and DOJ on all claims. The judge meticulously reviewed the facts, relying in significant part on the testimony of the plaintiffs, their families, disability providers and organizational leaders, and national experts. The decision detailed the harm and deprivations suffered by plaintiffs due to the state’s systemic failures and longstanding violations of federal laws, including the Nursing Home Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act, and the Medicaid Act.
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