Fernald timeline

Some important dates in Fernald's legal history:

1974 - Attorney Beryl W. Cohen files a class-action suit on behalf of Fernald's 1,733 residents, alleging inadequate living conditions.

1976 - U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro tours Fernald and describes it as a "pigpen."

1977 - Governor Michael Dukakis, Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti, and Tauro sign consent decrees providing more funding for Fernald and the other four state institutions for the mentally retarded.

1993 - Tauro withdraws from supervising the state institutions, returning control to the state.

2003 - Governor Mitt Romney announces plans to phase out the six state institutions for the mentally retarded starting with Fernald.

February 2006 - Tauro issues a ban on transfers from Fernald.

March 2007 - After a yearlong investigation, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan issues a report recommending that Fernald remain open.

August 2007 - Tauro halts the state's plan to close Fernald.

October 2008 - The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit overturns Tauro's August 2007 ruling.

December 2008 - Governor Deval Patrick's administration announces it will close four of the six state-run institutions for residents with disabilities, including Fernald.

April 6, 2009 - U.S. Supreme Court declines to review the case for closing Fernald.

April 29, 2009 - House lawmakers vote to block Governor Patrick's plan to close four state institutions for the developmentally disabled, including Fernald.

Source: Globe archives