Stephen Miller Said to Drive DOJ Memo Eroding Disability Rights [View all]

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/stephen-miller-said-to-drive-doj-memo-eroding-disability-rights

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https://archive.md/20260623211849/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/stephen-miller-said-to-drive-doj-memo-eroding-disability-rights

White House adviser Stephen Miller was the driving force behind the Justice Department’s recent memo authorizing states to institutionalize people with disabilities rather than fund community-based care, said people briefed on the situation.

Miller, the president’s powerful deputy chief of staff, was frustrated that the department’s Civil Rights Division was still reaching settlements compelling states to transfer those experiencing mental illness out of institutions, added the individuals, who spoke anonymously out of fear of retaliation.

They said Miller felt DOJ’s agreements—including one reached with South Carolina in December—would increase homelessness and didn’t adhere to President Donald Trump’s July executive order pressuring cities and states to move homeless people into treatment centers.

The June 18 DOJ Office of Legal Counsel opinion concluded states may disregard decades of Supreme Court precedent and ensuing regulations mandating integration of individuals with disabilities into home or community settings.

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