Media
The Children & Youth Law Clinic has over the years received considerable coverage in the media for its advocacy. Clinic faculty are also regularly sought out for comments in national, state, and regional print and broadcast media, reflecting their wide expertise on foster care, juvenile justice, family law, immigration law and other legal issues affecting children. In the past three years, we have appeared on CBS Evening News in a two-part "Eye on America" feature story on the administration of psychotropic medication to children in Florida's foster care system, in the New York Times and the Boston Globe commenting on Florida's juvenile direct file laws, and in dozens of Florida and national newspaper stories about the state's dysfunctional foster care system and the Clinic's successful efforts to reform the foster care system, focusing especially on the problems in the independent living program for older foster youth. Below is a selection of recent Children & Youth Law Clinic media citations:
- 9/15/2003 Fla. B. News 36,
The Florida Bar News September 15, 2003 UM CHILDREN'S LAW CLINIC AWARDED
- 8/2/03 Orlando Sentinel B6,,
2003 WL 59880432 Orlando Sentinel DCF GLITCH DELAYS YOUTHS' RENT MONEY TEXT: OPA-LOCKA -- Tired of living in a seedy apartment, where bullets once flew through the bedroom window, Judith Fils-Aime, a former foster child now ... Word Count: 447
- 1/3/04 St. Petersburg Times 5B;5B,,
2004 WL 56613142 St. Petersburg Times Judge: Youth must stay in jail during appeal TEXT: A Bradenton youth convicted of beating his classmate to death must remain in jail during his appeal, a judge ruled Friday. Circuit Judge Charles ... Word Count: 644
- 1/3/04 Orlando Sentinel B5,,
2004 WL 56103662 Orlando Sentinel GRANT WILL PAY TO FIND, TRAIN LAWYERS TO HELP FOSTER KIDS TEXT: A child-advocacy group received a grant from The Florida Bar Foundation that will pay for training and recruiting at least 100 lawyers to ... Word Count: 238
- 1/3/04 Tallahassee Democrat 3,,
2004 WL 56208360 The Tallahassee Democrat Bar's grant will provide lawyers for foster kids TEXT: ORLANDO A child-advocacy group received a grant from the Florida Bar Foundation that will pay for training and recruiting at least 100 lawyers to ... Word Count: 272
- 8/2/03 Miami Herald 9,,
2003 WL 60041370 The Miami Herald Dade foster youths get state checks late TEXT: More than 200 foster-care youths in Miami-Dade County who receive financial assistance from the Florida Department of Children & Families will not ... Word Count: 360
- 1/28/04 Palm Beach Post 10A,,
2004 WL 59974945 The Palm Beach Post SUIT AIMED AT KEEPING PAYMENTS TO FOSTER KIDS TEXT: Child advocates hope a federal lawsuit will help change a Florida law that abruptly cuts off aid to some foster children at age 18. Attorneys ... Word Count: 449
- 6/4/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1A,,
2003 WL 55283573 South Florida Sun-Sentinel STATE TO 18-YEAR-OLDS: YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN ADVOCATES WORRY ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO TEENS WHO ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR DCF FOSTER CARE. TEXT: A few days before he turned 18, Demetrius Bynes got a jaw-dropping visit from his Broward County foster care worker. After handing him a packet ... Word Count: 2244
- 6/4/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1A,,
2003 WL 57054356 South Florida Sun-Sentinel STATE TO 18-YEAR-OLDS: YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN ADVOCATES WORRY ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO TEENS WHO ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR DCF FOSTER CARE. TEXT: A few days before he turned 18, Demetrius Bynes got a jaw-dropping visit from his Broward County foster care worker. After handing him a packet ... Word Count: 2244
- 11/14/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 67678495 South Florida Sun-Sentinel DCF CONSIDERS CUTS IN STIPEND PROPOSAL WOULD AFFECT YOUNG ADULTS TEXT: Top child welfare officials in Tallahassee are considering dramatically slashing the monthly living stipend that some older teenagers receive once ... Word Count: 838
- 1/28/04 Tallahassee Democrat 6,,
2004 WL 56209935 The Tallahassee Democrat Disabled woman sues over DCF education plan; Lawsuit alleges discrimination TEXT: MIAMI An woman with learning disabilities is suing the state over a 2002 law that was intended to prepare foster children for independent lives ... Word Count: 420
- 8/7/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 60148649 South Florida Sun-Sentinel WILL ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE LEAD TO SAME SAD SPIRAL? TEXT: Why would an 18-year-old who can barely take care of herself, one who depends on a monthly state stipend to get by and is still struggling toward ... Word Count: 747
- 1/28/04 Orlando Sentinel B5,,
2004 WL 67240011 Orlando Sentinel WOMAN SUES STATE ON FOSTER-CARE RULES TEXT: MIAMI -- An 18-year-old woman with learning disabilities is suing the state over a 2002 law intended to prepare foster children for independent ... Word Count: 307
- 10/27/03 St. Petersburg Times 8A,,
2003 WL 56475389 St. Petersburg Times No home, no money, no help TEXT: Every day across Florida, teenagers turning 18 are being kicked out of their foster homes - ready or not - to live on their own. Many have no ... Word Count: 484
- 1/30/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1A,,
2003 WL 11552768 South Florida Sun-Sentinel HIGH COURT OPENS DOOR FOR ABUSE SUITS TEXT: A Florida Supreme Court ruling could make it easier for victims of child abuse to file lawsuits that previously were thrown out of court ... Word Count: 727
- 1/28/04 Miami Herald 3,,
2004 WL 67036295 The Miami Herald Learning disabled woman sues over DCF education plan; An 18-year-old with learning disabilities is suing the state over a 2002 law intended to prepare foster children for independent lives. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TEXT: An 18-year-old Miami-Dade woman with learning disabilities is suing the state over a 2002 law intended to prepare foster children aging out of the ... Word Count: 435
- 1/3/04 Miami Herald 8,,
2004 WL 56363776 The Miami Herald AROUND BROWARD COUNTY; WEST PALM BEACH TEXT: Police: Man ran over, killed ex-wife after spat Word Count: 891
- 3/24/04 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2004 WL 74167054 South Florida Sun-Sentinel DCF BACKS BID TO CUT FUNDS FOR OLDER KIDS PROPOSALS ENRAGE CHILD ADVOCATES TEXT: Florida's child welfare administrators are working with legislators to slash the living stipend older foster children receive to pay for housing, ... Word Count: 822
- 3/20/04 Palm Beach Post 13A,,
2004 WL 71149933 The Palm Beach Post GOVERNMENT CAN'T DO IT ALL FOR KIDS LEAVING FOSTER CARE TEXT: About The Post's front-page article on teens leaving foster care and trying to find a life as self-sustaining adults (Life after foster care ... Word Count: 487
- 10/14/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 65977474 South Florida Sun-Sentinel CHILD WELFARE OVERSEER QUITS DCF AGENCY DENIES MIAMI-DADE OFFICIAL IS BEING FORCED OUT OF HIS JOB. TEXT: One of the top officials for the Department of Children & Families in Miami- Dade County resigned on Monday, days after the latest in a series of ... Word Count: 676
- 10/10/03 Miami Herald 3,,
2003 WL 65451567 The Miami Herald State gets 10 days to prep teen for adulthood; The DCF has defied orders to teach a foster child to live on her own. The girl -- soon to be 18 -- and her child may end up homeless, her lawyer says. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES TEXT: Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel wants to know why child welfare administrators have ignored orders, for more than a year, that a 17-year-old ...
- 3/24/04 Palm Beach Post 2A,,
2004 WL 71150211 The Palm Beach Post FORMER FOSTER KIDS MAY SEE EARLY-ADULT AID SLASHED TEXT: Florida's Department of Children and Families can no longer guarantee it will pay rent for former foster children who are still in school, ... Word Count: 465
- 6/26/03 Miami Herald 8,,
2003 WL 57348548 The Miami Herald Court: DCF can't be forced to help girl after she's 18 TEXT: A bitter tug-of-war between a Miami judge and the Department of Children & Families over the future of a foster child ended Wednesday when an ... Word Count: 645
- 6/7/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 57050503 South Florida Sun-Sentinel PARENTS CHARGED IN DEATH OF BABY GIRL MALNOURISHED, AUTHORITIES SAY TEXT: Miami-Dade County prosecutors have filed manslaughter charges against the parents of a 5-month-old girl who was suffering from severe malnutrition ... Word Count: 883
- 6/7/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 58535810 South Florida Sun-Sentinel PARENTS CHARGED IN DEATH OF BABY GIRL MALNOURISHED, AUTHORITIES SAY TEXT: Miami-Dade County prosecutors have filed manslaughter charges against the parents of a 5-month-old girl who was suffering from severe malnutrition ... Word Count: 883
- 10/3/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 64118914 South Florida Sun-Sentinel DCF FIRES 2 WORKERS FOR LEAVING INJURED BABY IN FOSTER HOME A JUDGE HAD TOLD THE AGENCY TO REMOVE THE CHILD. TEXT: The Department of Children & Families fired two workers in Miami on Thursday for disobeying a court order by leaving a baby in a foster home where ... Word Count: 483
- 2/21/04 Miami Herald 1,,
2004 WL 70703364 The Miami Herald Besieged chief of agency leaves; The secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice becomes the sixth administrator to leave the agency since a teenager died in a Miami lockup. JUVENILE JUSTICE TEXT: William G. "Bill" Bankhead, who has been under siege by lawmakers and children's advocates since the death of a teen at a troubled Miami detention ... Word Count: 974
- 7/12/03 Orlando Sentinel B1,,
2003 WL 57958666 Orlando Sentinel ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVISTS LOOK FOR WAY TO UNDO RULING THEY DON'T LIKE A DECISION BY THE STATE HIGH COURT STRIKING DOWN A LAW REQUIRING PARENTAL NOTIFICATION. TEXT: The Florida Supreme Court has spoken, but the fight is not over. A day after the state's highest court struck down a law requiring parents to be ... Word Count: 755
- 11/27/03 Orlando Sentinel B8,,
2003 WL 68370079 Orlando Sentinel USE OF BAKER ACT ON KIDS LEAPS DURING PAST 4 YEARS. ONE SIDE SEES IT HELPING CHILDREN, BUT OTHERS WORRY IT CAN SCARE THEM. TEXT: FORT LAUDERDALE -- Florida's children were involuntarily committed to locked psychiatric wards for evaluations more than 15,600 times during the ... Word Count: 698
- 9/11/03 Miami Herald 16,,
2003 WL 62531135 The Miami Herald Bar Association leader champions kids' cause TEXT: As soon as he took office in July, Florida Bar Association President Miles McGrane III had a challenge for his 70,000-plus Florida colleagues: ... Word Count: 544
- 6/26/03 Orlando Sentinel J1,,
2003 WL 57955308 Orlando Sentinel FOSTER KIDS GAIN FRIEND IN NONPROFIT NEW GROUP'S AIM IS TO PROTECT CHILDREN TEXT: Florida's foster children have a new voice. From a prominent West Palm Beach trial lawyer to the head of the state's Children's Advocacy Center, ... Word Count: 508
- 10/10/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 64120355 South Florida Sun-Sentinel LIFE-SKILLS PROGRAM FOR TEENS IS DROPPED DCF IN MIAMI WILL USE THE MONEY FOR CASEWORKERS. TEXT: Although Florida gets millions of dollars in federal funds each year to prepare foster teens to live on their own at 18, the Department of ... Word Count: 806
- 10/9/03 Miami Herald 1,,
2003 WL 65451463 The Miami Herald Streamlining plan in the works; DCF Secretary Jerry Regier is proposing re- centralizing the agency into six large 'zones' to cut jobs and save money. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES TEXT: Agency plans Word Count: 705
- 8/2/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1A,,
2003 WL 60147800 South Florida Sun-Sentinel REALITY CHECKS LATE STIPENDS THREATEN FORMER FOSTER CHILDREN WITH FINANCIAL CRISIS. TEXT: OPA-LOCKA Tired of living in a seedy apartment where bullets once flew through the bedroom window, Judith Fils-Aime, a former foster child now 18 ... Word Count: 1186
- 1/28/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 11552252 South Florida Sun-Sentinel MOM IN NEGLECT CASE HAD 2 PRIOR REPORTS TEXT: The mother of a 2-year-old boy found unsupervised with his infant sister this past weekend in a flooded Miami apartment was twice investigated ... Word Count: 681
- 11/7/03 Miami Herald 5,,
2003 WL 65455151 The Miami Herald Bush asks to meet guardian; The governor's request to meet with the guardian ad litem of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo prompts questions from lawyers and legal experts. TEXT: TERRI SCHIAVO CASE Gov. Jeb Bush has asked to meet with Terri Schiavo's new court-appointed guardian, saying he wants to express his concerns in ... Word Count: 426
- 1/1/03 Miami Herald XXX,,
2003 WL 2570226 The Miami Herald Lawyer sues to force state to take custody of baby 'Eve' TEXT: A local lawyer with no clue about the whereabouts of the first alleged human clone wants Florida's welfare agency to take temporary custody of ... Word Count: 601
- 4/1/2003 Fla. B. News 17,
The Florida Bar News April 1, 2003 COURT GIVES 'SILENCED' CHILDREN THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD Jan Pudlow
- 1/15/03 Miami Herald 1,,
2003 WL 2571798 The Miami Herald Former DCF attorney begins new job as appeals judge TEXT: Linda Ann Wells had never gotten so much attention in her life. CNN, The New York Times and other media jammed into a tiny Miami-Dade County ... Word Count: 1106
- 1/15/03 Miami Herald 1,,
2003 WL 2571757 The Miami Herald Former DCF attorney begins job as appeals judge today TEXT: Linda Ann Wells had never gotten so much attention in her life. CNN, The New York Times and other media jammed into a tiny Miami-Dade County ... Word Count: 1072
- 10/7/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 3B,,
2003 WL 64119622 South Florida Sun-Sentinel DCF DISMISSES THREE WORKERS IN WAKE OF AGENCY'S LATEST TRAGEDY TEXT: Attorney Aleida Jacobo was on vacation Friday when she received a call from the Department of Children & Families telling her to resign by 5 p.m. ... Word Count: 656
- 1/27/04 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2004 WL 56072836 South Florida Sun-Sentinel TEEN SUES DCF FOR DISCRIMINATION 18-YEAR-OLD FIGHTS TO STAY IN CLASS, KEEP SCHOOL STIPEND TEXT: Miami At a food stamp eligibility office in Little Haiti on Monday, an 18- year-old woman who spent most of her life in foster care attempted to ... Word Count: 964
- 6/25/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 57054592 South Florida Sun-Sentinel A TOUGH ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE ADVOCATES SAY THE STATE DOES TOO LITTLE FOR FOSTER KIDS WHO REACH AGE 18. TEXT: Yusimil Herrera is 19, living with her boyfriend's family after enduring homelessness and trying to succeed as an adult despite a ruined childhood ... Word Count: 1120
- 11/19/03 Miami Herald 5,,
2003 WL 68011909 The Miami Herald Judge: Help foster-care teens buy caps and gowns; A judge orders state officials to explain why they should not be held in 'criminal contempt' for refusing to help foster kids pay for graduation. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES TEXT: When most of Carol City High's Class of 2004 looks back on graduation, they'll remember the walk to accept their diploma in a cap and gown, their ... Word Count: 760
- 10/9/03 Miami Herald 6,,
2003 WL 65451419 The Miami Herald Agency plans to slim down; DCF Secretary Jerry Regier wants to re-centralize the social services agency into six large 'zones' to cut jobs and save money. DCF TEXT: The Florida Department of Children & Families, for more than a generation one of the state's most chronically troubled state agencies, is planning ... Word Count: 569
- 2/7/03 Tallahassee Democrat (Pg. Unavail. Online),,
2003 WL 2561691 The Tallahassee Democrat Many kids find DCF fails them TEXT: THE SYSTEM LOST IN PLAIN SIGHT: THE LEGACY OF FOSTER CARE Word Count: 2174
- 5/6/04 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 2B,,
2004 WL 77022136 South Florida Sun-Sentinel COUPLE JAILED AFTER BABY DIES PAIR DIDN'T REPORT DEATH, POLICE SAY TEXT: When their infant daughter died Tuesday, the couple did not mourn. They sprang into action, concocting an elaborate ruse so authorities would not ... Word Count: 779
- 2/4/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 5B,,
2003 WL 11553756 South Florida Sun-Sentinel INCOMPLETE ABUSE INVESTIGATIONS BUILD UP TEXT: Counselors are responding faster to calls to Florida's child abuse hotline, but the state continues to face a large backlog of incomplete ... Word Count: 570
- 5/15/2003 Fla. B. News 11,
The Florida Bar News May 15, 2003 FOUNDATION FELLOW TO ASSIST WOMEN FARMWORKERS Mark D. Killian
- 11/24/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1A,,
2003 WL 67680713 South Florida Sun-Sentinel MORE KIDS ARE HELD UNDER BAKER ACT ' SOME PARENTS FRET, BUT ACTIVISTS CALL IT BETTER RESPONSE TO CHILDREN IN CRISIS. TEXT: Florida's children were involuntarily committed to locked psychiatric wards for evaluations more than 15,600 times during the past year -- a 32 ... Word Count: 1691
- 6/26/03 Orlando Sentinel J1,,
2003 WL 57955211 Orlando Sentinel FOSTER CHILDREN GAIN FRIEND IN NONPROFIT GROUP'S AIM IS TO ASSURE THAT KIDS GET CARE, SERVICES THEY NEED TEXT: Florida's foster children have a new voice. From a prominent West Palm Beach trial lawyer to the head of the state's Children's Advocacy Center, ... Word Count: 588
- 3/14/03 Miami Herald 1,,
2003 WL 13346140 The Miami Herald A major victory for foster kids Mentally ill children deserve hearing before being locked up, court rules TEXT: In an important victory for foster children, the Florida Supreme Court has ruled that youngsters in state care have a right to a hearing ... Word Count: 943
- 10/1/2003 Fla. B. News 1,
The Florida Bar News October 1, 2003 BAR PANEL WORKS TO ESTABLISH STATEWIDE ADVOCATE FOR KIDS Mark D. Killian
- 9/27/03 Miami Herald 1,,
2003 WL 62533301 The Miami Herald Critics: The DCF limits access; A watchdog group says the social services agency 'retaliates' for a critical report by hindering efforts to secure medical files of foster children. SOCIAL SERVICES TEXT: DCF limits access, critics say A month after a watchdog group alerted the Department of Children & Families to their concerns that hundreds of ... Word Count: 1013
- 5/27/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1B,,
2003 WL 55282119 South Florida Sun-Sentinel DCF HAS GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR NEW MIAMI DISTRICT CHIEF TEXT: Chuck Hood had no military experience when he joined the U.S. Army at 23, but he managed to become a captain in less than four years. He had ... Word Count: 1172
- 2/24/03 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1A,,
2003 WL 14867539 South Florida Sun-Sentinel DCF: WE'LL MEET GOAL; BACKLOG OF OPEN CASES TO SHRINK 50% PROBLEMS PERSIST IN PALM BEACH COUNTY TEXT: With less than a week to go, Florida's new child welfare administration declared it will meet one of its most ambitious goals yet: Cutting the ... Word Count: 1205
- 1/22/03 Clarion-Ledger (Jackson Miss.) 1,,
2003 WL 7100113 Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS) Records show abuse in home of teen held in double-slaying TEXT: Behavior of father noted in divorce transcripts By Theresa Kiely Word Count: 1409
- 1/22/03 Clarion-Ledger (Jackson Miss.) 1,,
2003 WL 7100048 Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS) Records show abuse in home of teen held in double-slaying TEXT: Behavior of father noted in divorce transcripts (THIS CORRECTION RAN ON THURSDAY, JANUARY, 23, 2003 ON PAGE 5A) Word Count: 1476
- 5/18/04 Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.) 1A,,
2004 WL 80032733 South Florida Sun-Sentinel MOTHER IS ARRESTED IN DAUGHTER'S BEATING TEXT: A North Miami woman who was part of a $4.4 million jury verdict for the heinous abuse she suffered in foster care was arrested Monday for beating ... Word Count: 1182
- 8/10/03 Palm Beach Post 1A,,
2003 WL 59727105 The Palm Beach Post SAVING ISAIAH TEXT: The state of Florida locked away Isaiah White 11 months ago. They confined him in a place they call the "quiet room." Word Count: 4118
