A cross-office Sidley team, alongside the Center for Public Representation (CPR) and Disability Rights Texas (DRTx), achieved a landmark victory in Steward v. Young on behalf of thousands of Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have been segregated in facilities without mandated services or opportunities for community living.
For decades, the State has unnecessarily institutionalized more than 4,000 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 the CPR and DRTx, filed a class action case asking the federal court to halt these federal law violations. Shortly thereafter, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened to support the people with disabilities.
After presiding over a multi-week trial in the class action lawsuit, U.S. District Court Judge Orlando L. Garcia from the Western District of Texas issued a 475-page opinion on June 17, 2025, finding for the plaintiffs and the DOJ on all claims and ruling that “Texas’ actions have caused irreparable injury to people with IDD who are in nursing facilities.”
The Court ordered the parties to submit a proposed remedial order by August 1, 2025. The Court’s decision affirms the core goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act — to end the historical segregation of people with disabilities, and to allow all people in nursing facilities to transition to integrated programs in the community with appropriate supports. In April 2026, the Court ordered the parties to confer on final discovery necessary for entering a remedial order, and reiterating that “judgment will be entered for Plaintiffs and the United States after entry of said remedial order.”
“This case forced a long-overdue shift away from institutionalizing individuals with disabilities, affirming their right to live in integrated community settings and setting a powerful precedent for systemic, nationwide reform,” said Yvette Ostolaza, Sidley’s Management Committee Chair.
“Sidley is deeply committed to pro bono advocacy, and in the Steward case, we devoted the full strength of our team to fighting for individuals who could not advocate for themselves and to securing the justice they deserved,” said Sidley partner Rob Velevis.
The matter was widely covered in the media, including in The Texas Lawbook and an in-depth Q&A in Bloomberg Law. Sidley was also named a 2025 “Pro Bono Innovator” by Bloomberg for our work on the matter.
The lead plaintiff in the case, Eric Steward, is pictured in the accompanying photograph.
