Jonathan R. v. Patrick Morrisey

── Jonathan R. v. Patrick Morrisey ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Date: June 08, 2026 Category: General USCA4 Appeal: 25-1239 Doc: 92 Filed: 06/08/2026 Pg: 1 of 57 PUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 25-1232 JONATHAN R., minor, by Next Friend, Sarah Dixon; ANASTASIA M., minor, by Next Friend, Cheryl Ord; SERENA S., minor, by Next Friend, Sarah Dixon; THEO S., minor, by Next Friend, L. Scott Briscoe; GARRETT M., minor, by Next Friend, L. Scott Briscoe; GRETCHEN C., minor, by Next Friend, Cathy L. Greiner; DENNIS R., minor, by Next Friend, Debbie Stone; CHRIS K., CALVIN K., and CAROLINA K., minors, by Next Friend, Katherine Huffman; KARTER W., minor, by Next Friend, L. Scott Briscoe; ACE L., minor, by Next Friend, Isabelle Santillion; and individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs – Appellants, v. PATRICK MORRISEY, in his official capacity as the Governor of West Virginia; ALEX J. MAYER, in his official capacity as Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services; CAMMIE CHAPMAN, in her official capacity as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources; LORI BRAGG, in her official capacity as Interim Commissioner of the Bureau for Social Service; WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, Defendants - Appellees. --------------------------- LAW SCHOLARS; THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR YOUTH LAW AND 32 ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; THE ARC OF THE UNITED STATES; THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC REPRESENTATION; THE NATIONAL HEALTH LAW PROGRAM; THE JUDGE DAVID L. BAZELON CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH LAW, Amici Supporting Appellants. THE LIBERTY JUSTICE CENTER; STATES OF ALASKA; ALABAMA; ARKANSAS; DELAWARE; FLORIDA; GEORGIA; IDAHO; IOWA; KANSAS; USCA4 Appeal: 25-1239 Doc: 92 Filed: 06/08/2026 Pg: 2 of 57 LOUISIANA; MISSISSIPPI; NEBRASKA; NEW HAMPSHIRE; NORTH DAKOTA; SOUTH CAROLINA; TEXAS, Amici Supporting Appellees. No. 25-1239 JONATHAN R., minor, by Next Friend, Sarah Dixon; ANASTASIA M., minor, by Next Friend, Cheryl Ord; SERENA S., minor, by Next Friend, Sarah Dixon; THEO S., minor, by Next Friend, L. Scott Briscoe; GARRETT M., minor, by Next Friend, L. Scott Briscoe; GRETCHEN C., minor, by Next Friend, Cathy L. Greiner; DENNIS R., minor, by Next Friend, Debbie Stone; CHRIS K.; CALVIN K., and; CAROLINA K., minors, by Next Friend, Katherine Huffman; KARTER W., minor, by Next Friend, L. Scott Briscoe; ACE L., minor, by Next Friend, Isabelle Santillion, Plaintiffs – Appellees, PATRICK MORRISEY, in his official capacity as the Governor of West Virginia; ALEX J. MAYER, in his official capacity as Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services; LORI BRAGG, in her official capacity as Interim Commissioner of the Bureau for Social Services; CAMMIE CHAPMAN, in her official capacity as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources; WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, Defendants – Appellants. ---------------------------------- THE LIBERTY JUSTICE CENTER; STATES OF ALASKA; ALABAMA; ARKANSAS; DELAWARE; FLORIDA; GEORGIA; IDAHO; IOWA; KANSAS; LOUISIANA; MISSISSIPPI; NEBRASKA; NEW HAMPSHIRE; NORTH DAKOTA; SOUTH CAROLINA; TEXAS, Amici Supporting Appellants.