Appellate Rulings Reduce Number of Families Subject to Unwarranted Surveillance

December 3, 2025

Recent appellate rulings in NYS seek to transform how family courts handle cases involving parents not accused of child abuse or neglect. These landmark decisions, spearheaded by the Family Justice Law Center, ended a decades-long practice of unnecessary ACS supervision orders, which disproportionately affected low-income Black and Hispanic families in New York City. Since these rulings, there has been a major reduction in the number of families subjected to this form of unwarranted surveillance.

While New York City has already begun to shift its policies and practices in response to these decisions, many counties across NYS are now determining how to align local procedures, casework expectations, and court orders with these decisions.

Read the report to learn more about the impact of the Matter of Sapphire W. and Matter of A.R. that led to positive practice changes.