Victory for Children in State Custody

Victory for Children in State Custody

Following an extraordinary, late afternoon, two-hour hearing on Monday, June 29th, U.S. District Court Judge John F. Grady today ordered Illinois' child welfare agency - the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) - to comply with all parts of a court-monitored consent decree that ensures the safety and protects the constitutional rights of children in the state system. Judge Grady's order recognizes that the State of Illinois would be in violation of the consent decree to which it agreed and cause an irreparable harm to the 16,000 children under the care of DCFS if the so-called "doomsday" budget adopted by the state legislature is allowed to go into effect at midnight, July 1st.