A memo from the U.S. Department of Justice is sending shockwaves through the disability rights community, with advocates warning it could undermine decades of civil rights protections for Americans with disabilities.<\/p>\n
The Justice Department’s legal opinion takes aim at protections that have historically treated placing disabled individuals in institutions as an option of last resort. Those protections have long been considered a cornerstone of disability rights law in the United States.<\/p>\n
Disability advocates say the memo signals a troubling shift in how the federal government views the rights of people with disabilities to live in their communities rather than in institutional settings. Many fear that if the opinion is acted upon, it could open the door to a return to widespread institutionalization \u2014 a practice that civil rights efforts over many years have worked to move away from.<\/p>\n
The Justice Department building in Washington, D.C. is where the opinion originated, and the move has drawn swift attention from advocacy groups nationwide who say the stakes could not be higher for vulnerable Americans who depend on community-based support and services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A new Justice Department memo is raising serious concerns among disability rights advocates across the country. The opinion appears to challenge long-standing civil rights protections that have kept institutionalization of people with disabilities as a last resort. Advocates worry the move could signal a broader shift away from community-based care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[833],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-m0s","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":80247,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-bill-would-strengthen-disability-rights-protections\/","url_meta":{"origin":84596,"position":0},"title":"Delaware Bill Would Strengthen Disability Rights Protections","author":"Admin","date":"June 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Proposed legislation in Delaware aims to enhance protections for residents with disabilities by incorporating federal standards into state law. The measure would adopt provisions from a 1973 federal rehabilitation act to ensure broader coverage under Delaware's equal accommodations statute.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212969413.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212969413.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212969413.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212969413.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781212969413.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40058,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/delaware-senate-advances-disability-rights-protection-legislation\/","url_meta":{"origin":84596,"position":1},"title":"Delaware Senate Advances Disability Rights Protection Legislation","author":"Admin","date":"March 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Delaware state senators have made progress on legislation aimed at strengthening civil rights protections for people with disabilities. The measure represents a significant advancement in disability advocacy efforts at the state level.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774016497307.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":81683,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/legal-challenges-filed-against-assisted-suicide-laws-in-new-york-and-illinois\/","url_meta":{"origin":84596,"position":2},"title":"Legal Challenges Filed Against Assisted Suicide Laws in New York and Illinois","author":"Admin","date":"June 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Disability rights groups and patient advocates have filed lawsuits in two states seeking to strike down laws that allow doctors to help patients end their lives. The legal challenges claim these assisted suicide laws discriminate against people with disabilities and violate federal civil rights protections. The coalition argues that individuals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781519504472.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781519504472.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781519504472.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781519504472.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781519504472.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":82660,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-moves-special-ed-and-civil-rights-oversight-out-of-education-department\/","url_meta":{"origin":84596,"position":3},"title":"Trump Moves Special Ed and Civil Rights Oversight Out of Education Department","author":"Admin","date":"June 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Trump administration is transferring oversight of special education and civil rights enforcement away from the Education Department to other federal agencies. 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