Supreme Court Allows Accessibility Lawsuits Concerning State Courthouses 5/18/2004
The U.S. Supreme Court has handed disability rights advocates a victory, though a more limited one than they had sought. The high court on May 17 ruled that states could be sued under the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act for failing to provide access to courthouses. But it stopped short of allowing suits against all types of state buildings.
The 5-4 decision in "Tennessee v. Lane" is a departure from previous Supreme Court rulings that shielded states against certain lawsuits. The case was originated in 1998 by two paraplegics, George Lane and Beverly Jones, who contended that they were denied access to Tennessee courts because of their disabilities. Lane claimed he had to go to the second floor of a county courthouse to answer criminal charges. The High Court's opinion said, "At his first appearance, Lane crawled up two flights of stairs to get to the courtroom."