JAN consultants often get inquiries asking for information on Supreme Court rulings that address the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The links below provide information on these rulings. This page is merely assimilated as a convenience to our users and does not indicate endorsement or provide interpretation.

2006

United States v. Georgia et al (2006) Decided January 10, 2006

Issue-State Immunity: Whether a state prison inmate with a disability may sue the State for money damages under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

2005

Spector et al. v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. (2005) Decided June 6, 2005

Issue-Public Accommodation: Whether Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) applies to foreign-flag cruise ships in United States waters.

2004

Tennessee v. Lane (2004) Decided May 17, 2004

Issue-State Immunity: Whether Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as it applies to the class of cases implicating the accessibility of judicial services, is a valid exercise of Congress' §5 enforcement power.

2003

Raytheon Co. v. Hernandez (2003) Decided December 2, 2003

Issue-Definition of Employee: Whether the ADA confers preferential rehire rights on disabled employees lawfully terminated for violating workplace conduct rules.

Clackamas Gastroenterology Associates, P.C. v. Wells (2003) Decided April 22, 2003

Issue-Definition of Employee: Whether four physicians actively engaged in medical practice as shareholders and directors of a professional corporation should be counted as "employees."

2002

Barnes v. Gorman, No. 01-682 (2002) Decided June 17, 2002

Issue-Punitive Damages: Whether punitive damages may be awarded in a private cause of action brought under section 202 of the ADA and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Chevron v. Echazabal, No. 00-1406 (2002) Decided June 10, 2002

Issue-Direct Threat: Whether the EEOC's regulation recognizing a threat-to-self defense exceeded the scope of permissible rulemaking under the ADA.

U.S. Airways, Inc. v. Barnett, 122 S. Ct. 1516 (2002) Decided April 29, 2002

Issue-Reasonable Accommodation: When an employee with a disability seeks reassignment as an accommodation under the ADA, does that employee's right to reasonable accommodation trump another employee's seniority rights when the employer has a seniority system?

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Waffle House, Inc., 122 S.Ct. 754 (2002) Decided January 15, 2002

Issue-Arbitration: Whether an agreement between an employee and an employer to arbitrate employment-related disputes bars the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from pursuing victim-specific judicial relief, such as back pay, reinstatement, and damages, in an enforcement action alleging that the employer has violated Title I of the ADA.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. v. Williams, 534 U.S. 184 (2002) Decided January 8, 2002

Issue-Definition of Disability: How do you determine whether an individual is substantially limited in the major life activity of performing manual tasks?

2001

Buckhannon Board and Care Home, Inc. v. W. Va. Dep't of Health and Human Res., 532 U.S. 598 (2001) Decided May 29, 2001

Issue-Attorneys Fees: Whether a party that has failed to secure a judgment on the merits or a court-ordered consent decree, but has nonetheless achieved the desired result because the lawsuit brought about a voluntary change in the defendants conduct, is entitled to attorney's fees and costs.

PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin, 532 U.S. 661, 532 U.S. 661 (2001) Decided May 29, 2001

Issue-Scope of Title III: Whether Title III of the ADA protects access to professional golf tournaments by a qualified entrant with a disability; and whether a contestant with a disability may be denied the use of a golf cart because it would fundamentally alter the nature of the tournaments to allow him to ride when all other contestants must walk.

Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, 531 U.S. 356 (2001) Decided February 21, 2001

Issue-State Immunity: Whether the Eleventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution bars state employees from suing their state employers in federal court for monetary damages.

1999

Cleveland v. Policy Management Systems Corp., 526 U.S. 795 (1999) Decided May 24, 1999

Issue-Estoppel: Whether a person who applies for and receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can also pursue an action for disability discrimination under the ADA, claiming that "with . . . reasonable accommodation" she could "perform the essential functions" of her job.

Albertson's, Inc. v. Kirkingburg, 527 U.S. 555 (1999) Decided June 22, 1999

Issue-Definition of Disability: Whether, under the ADA, an employer who requires as a job qualification that an employee meet an otherwise applicable federal safety regulation must justify enforcing the regulation solely because its standard may be waived in an individual case.

Murphy v. United Parcel Service, 527 U.S. 516 (1999) Decided June 22, 1999

Issue-Definition of Disability: Whether, under the ADA, the determination of whether an individual's impairment "substantially limits" one or more major life activities should be made without consideration of mitigating measures and whether the fact that an employer regarded an individual as unable to obtain Department of Transportation (DOT) certification is sufficient to show that the employer regarded the individual as having a disability under ADA.

Sutton v. United Airlines, 527 U.S. 471 (1999) Decided June 22, 1999

Issue-Definition of Disability: Whether, under the ADA, the determination of whether an individual's impairment "substantially limits" one or more major life activities should be made without consideration of mitigating measure, including, in this case, eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999) Decided June 22, 1999

Issue-Scope of Title II: Whether Title II of the ADA may require placement of persons with mental disabilities in community settings rather than in institutions.

1998

Wright v. Universal Maritime Service Corp., 525 U.S. 70 (1998) Decided November 16, 1998

Issue-Arbitration: Whether a general arbitration clause in a collective-bargaining agreement (CBA) requires an employee to use the arbitration procedure for an alleged violation of the ADA.

Bragdon v. Abbott, 524 U.S. 624 (1998) Decided June 25, 1998

Issue-Definition of Disability and Direct Threat: Whether asymptomatic HIV infection is a disability under the ADA, and when determining whether an individual with HIV poses a direct threat to a health care provider, should the courts defer to the provider's professional judgment?

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections v. Yeskey, 524 U.S. 206 (1998) Decided June 15, 1998

Issue-Scope of Title II: Whether Title II of the ADA covers state prisons and prisoners.