Justices Allow Civil Rights Suits for Federal Safety Net Programs (3)

Injured parties can still sue states for violating federal safety net programs like Medicaid and Medicare after the US Supreme Court refused to overturn longstanding precedent.

The justices on Thursday refused to adopt a wholesale rule carving out so-called spending clause legislation from a federal law that allows people to sue for civil rights violations. Such laws allow Congress to set minimum standards for state-run federal programs.

The court further said in a 7-2 opinion that nursing home patients could sue state-run facilities for violations of the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act.

Gorgi Talevski’s family sued an Indiana facility ...