The decision stems from a suit brought by a DCS family case manager, who argued she and other workers were handling heavy workloads that put children at risk.
The lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, sought to force DCS to reduce the caseloads handled by its workers, who investigate allegations of abuse and neglect and manage ongoing child welfare cases.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court said the issue can't be resolved by a judicial mandate. The justices said that while Indiana law requires a specific outcome — limits on the number of cases each family case manager must handle — the law does not specify the particular action DCS must take to reach that outcome.
"Granting relief here risks entangling the judiciary in the Department’s day-to-day affairs — what would likely be a time-consuming intrusion beyond our institutional competence to discharge," the state Supreme Court said in its opinion.
