June 22, 1999: Disabled people in the United States won the right to live in our communities through the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision.

June 18, 2026: The U.S. Dept. of “Justice” tries to roll back our hard-won civil rights victory.

Here’s what’s happening:

27 years ago, the Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. that disabled people have the right to live in our communities instead of being institutionalized.

Last week, the U.S. Deptartment of “Justice” issued an opinion memo that undermines this landmark decision and risks a major roll-back of hard-won disability rights.

The DOJ’s memo says: “We recognize that this view of Olmstead’s import is out of step with the common understanding of that decision within the federal courts.”

The DOJ knows and admits that they’re trying to upend decades of legal precedent protecting disability rights and preventing segregation.

The DOJ does not care.

Olmstead is not erased. DOJ’s memo does not change the law.

Disabled people are still protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehab Act. We still have the right to be fully integrated into our communities.

But this will likely embolden decision-makers to push legal boundaries, cut community services, and rely on institutionalization instead.

Rights without enforcement aren’t truly protected. DOJ’s opinion memo means disability rights are once again on the line. Do not stop paying attention.