Disabled People Can Sue States

Disabled People Can Sue States
Yahoo! - WASHINGTON - Disabled people can sue if states ignore a landmark civil rights law that protects their rights, a divided Supreme Court ruled Monday in the case of a paraplegic man who crawled up the steps of a small-town courthouse because there was no elevator for his wheelchair.

The 5-4 ruling marks a limited but important endorsement of the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, a law meant to ensure equal treatment for the disabled in many areas of life.

Access to courts and the services they provide is a basic right, and the ADA properly gives private citizens such as George Lane the power to sue for damages if a state fails to live up to that promise, the liberal-led majority ruled.
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