休斯顿：德州寄养制度联邦监管存废听证在休斯顿开庭
休斯顿——位于德克萨斯州 Harris County 的休斯顿市，德州政府请求联邦法官终止对该州寄养制度长达15年的联邦监管，一场为期多日的听证会于10月20日在休斯顿开庭，由联邦地区法官 Randy Crane 主持。这是该案两年来首次公开听证，案涉系统预算达49亿美元，约6,800名儿童处于长期寄养状态。
这起集体诉讼始于2011年，当时德州长期寄养儿童约1.2万人。联邦法院随后裁定，德州使长期寄养儿童面临不合理的伤害风险，下令全面整改并指派监督员；自2018年起，监督员一直在全州检查安置点，并就儿童安全、虐待调查、人员配备等公开报告。
州政府律师主张，法院要求的核心制度已经建立并运转：虐待举报热线等待时间缩短、调查质量改善、社工个案量更可控。近期监督报告显示，超过82%的长期寄养个案量维持在每名社工14至17名儿童的基准内；长期寄养儿童数也已从2011年的约1.2万人降至2025年的约6,800人。代表寄养儿童的律师则认为进展真实但尚不稳固：今年6月的监督报告仍指出，有儿童被安置在有虐待、忽视或剥削史的家庭，部分承包商的个案量超标。
该案原主审法官 Janis Jack 此前作出的藐视法庭裁决涉及每日10万美元罚款，第五巡回上诉法院其后推翻该裁决并将 Jack 移出此案，Crane 法官于2025年3月接手。听证结果将决定这一全国瞩目的寄养改革案何去何从。（GSM 据 Texas Tribune 报道）
Houston: Hearing Opens on Ending Federal Oversight of Texas Foster Care
Houston — In Houston, Harris County, Texas, a multiday hearing opened on October 20 before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane on Texas's request to end 15 years of federal court oversight of the state's foster care system. It is the first public hearing in the case in two years. The system has a reported budget of $4.9 billion, with about 6,800 children in long-term foster care.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2011, when about 12,000 children were in long-term care. A federal court later found that Texas exposed those children to an unreasonable risk of harm, ordered sweeping reforms and appointed monitors. Since 2018, monitors have inspected placements statewide and reported publicly on child safety, abuse investigations and staffing.
State attorneys argue the core systems the court required are built and working: shorter waits on the abuse hotline, improved investigations and more manageable caseloads. Recent monitoring reports found that more than 82% of long-term caseloads stayed within a benchmark of 14 to 17 children per worker, and the number of children in long-term care has fallen from about 12,000 in 2011 to roughly 6,800 in 2025. Lawyers for the children say the progress is real but not yet durable: a June monitoring report still described children placed in homes with histories of abuse, neglect or exploitation, and some contractors carrying caseloads above recommended levels.
The case's original judge, Janis Jack, issued a contempt ruling carrying a $100,000-a-day fine; the Fifth Circuit later reversed that ruling and removed her from the case, and Judge Crane took over in March 2025. The hearing will help decide the future of one of the nation's most closely watched foster care reform cases. (GSM, based on The Texas Tribune)
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