The judge overseeing a federal lawsuit over conditions at the Mary Davis Home has granted a request from the plaintiffs and the defendants to pause the case as the juvenile detention center in Galesburg prepares to close.
In a joint motion filed Feb. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, attorneys for both sides asked Judge Colleen Lawless to halt discovery and suspend all upcoming deadlines in the case.
The lawsuit was filed in 2024 by ACLU of Illinois on behalf of minors J.B.H., A.M., and J.L.S., and other youths detained at the facility.
The plaintiffs are challenging confinement policies and other conditions at the Mary Davis Home.
The court has certified the case as a class action lawsuit, meaning it could proceed on behalf of all children currently or in the future detained at the Mary Davis Home.
Named as defendants in the case are Knox County; Ninth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Raymond Cavanaugh; Stacy Bainter, director of court services for the Ninth Judicial Circuit; and Wendi Steck, superintendent of the Mary Davis Home.
On Jan. 30, Cavanaugh issued an administrative order closing the Mary Davis Home effective March 21.
According to a notice filed with the court, all youths currently detained there will be transferred out by March 20. In the joint motion, the defendants said they are not aware of any plan to reopen the facility.
In their joint filing, both sides said continuing what they described as a time- and resource-intensive discovery process may not make sense given the impending closure.
They told the court they are discussing how the case should be resolved in light of the impending shutdown.
Lawless has also approved an amended mental health plan for the facility, which both parties asked the court to adopt.
The plan will remain in place until the Mary Davis Home closes March 21.
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