To mark the 25th anniversary of the watershed Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W. Supreme Court decision, the Center for Law, Health & Society at Georgia State Law convened faculty, students, alumni and friends of the college to reflect on the progress made in disability rights since 1999 — and to explore the opportunities to continue delivering on the promises of the Olmstead decision.
The original lawsuit was brought before the court by two Georgia women who sought to secure their release from Georgia Regional Hospital-Atlanta back in 1995. Although the women were voluntarily admitted to the state facility for assistance with mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities, they remained unnecessarily institutionalized long after their treatment was complete.
In the Supreme Court decision, it was determined that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities in institutions is discrimination under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but issues of delayed justice still plague communities across the country today.
“While great strides have been made to implement Olmstead in every state, the work is far from over,” said Susan Walker Goico, the director of Atlanta Legal Aid Society's Disability Integration Project and director of Georgia State Law’s Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic, opening the floor for the keynote speaker Jennifer Mathis to shed light on developments from the past 25 years.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Mathis gave her remarks on 25 years of developments following the 1999 Olmstead decision.
As a deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Mathis has unique insight into the ways that the Olmstead decision is making an impact nationwide. She played a key role in coordinating strategy and briefing when the Olmstead case was heard by the Supreme Court and has litigated numerous community integration cases.
Mathis highlighted several significant wins, including recent victories nationwide.
“In Georgia, the number of people served annually in state hospitals has decreased by about half, as has the hospital census,” she said. In addition to this success, Mathis noted that a primary diagnosis of developmental disability can no longer be the basis for admission to a state psychiatric hospital, and the number of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in state psychiatric hospitals has decreased by 80 percent.
Despite these achievements, Mathis acknowledged that many resources have never progressed.
“Too often, vested interests make it difficult to do the right thing at the expense of people's legal rights, and often at significant financial cost,” she said. “Our work remains cut out for us, and it is critical for all of us to redouble our efforts.”
As Mathis laid out future plans for her department, law students were inspired to become the next generation of attorneys to join those efforts.
“Hearing Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mathis speak on the 25th anniversary of Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W. provided a valuable update on the fight against institutional isolation of people with disabilities,” said Halle Seydel (J.D. ’25), president of the Public Interest Law Association and former Olmstead Disability Clinic student. “Listening to experts at the College of Law inspires me to explore a career dedicated to advocacy and connects case law to real-world impact.”
To view the recording, visit the CLHS Video Archive.