As I had expected, Judge Marvin E. Aspen denied the Illinois League of
Advocates for the Developmentally Disabled’s injunction to keep the Murry
Developmental Center open on Friday.
The Arc signed on as an Amicus Partner with the Equip Brief.
Special thank you to Barry Taylor and the attorney’s at Equip for Equality who
continue to champion the rights of individuals with intellectual disabilities and
their civil right to live in the community.
Well done Equip for Equality!
It never ceases to amaze me about the upside down interpretation here in
Illinois of the Olmstead decision which is a victory for the “choice” of community
instead of life in an institution.
From the ruling on, “The plaintiffs (the League) have presented no evidence
that their wards would be denied the lawfully required level of care even if
Illinois were to close all its State Operated Developmental Centers,” Judge
Aspen.
See Barry’s memo below explaining the ruling.
.
Tony
Dear Murray Amicus Brief Partners,
The 7th Circuit has issued its opinion in the Murray closure litigation and
affirmed the lower court’s denial of the Murray parents’ motion for preliminary
injunction.
Here’s a link to a statement we issued on the case: Equip Statement
And here’s a link to the court’s decision: Court Decision
When you read the opinion, you’ll see that the various academic sources
supporting community living cited by the 7th Circuit (pages 3-4) came directly
from our amicus brief. There is also good language in the opinion about how
Illinois lags behind the rest of the states with respect to community integration
(the court calls Illinois a ““laggard outlier”), and the opinion also discusses the
benefits of community living.
Thank you for partnering with us on this important case. Please let us know if
you have any questions.
Barry
Barry C. Taylor
Equip for Equality
Tony Paulauski Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org
