A federal appeals court has revived a decades-old lawsuit against the state of Idaho over claims of substandard children's mental health care.

The case began in 1980 when a little boy known only as Jeff D. brought a class-action lawsuit against the state for institutionalizing mentally ill children instead of providing care for them. In Wednesday's ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the lower court must consider whether the state was meeting the larger goals of providing community-based mental health care to indigent children with severe emotional and mental disabilities.

Idaho Deputy Attorney General Michael Gilmore said he couldn't immediately comment on the ruling because his office was still reviewing it. The attorney representing Jeff D. said the ruling was a vindication for children with severe emotional disturbances and their families.