Before we get to the blog entry of the week, a housekeeping matter. I will be out of the office from Friday evening and returning late Tuesday. So, a blog entry for the week after this will come up later in that week rather than earlier to middle of the week as is usually the
Sovereign Immunity in the Absence of Constitutional Violations
After a two-month period, where my computer was completely on the fritz, I may have finally fixed it. It turns out that Windows itself had become corrupted and that it needed to reinstall Windows. Once I did, that fixed the problem. You wouldn’t believe what I went through
Graduated Student and Sovereign Immunity
As promised, I am back. For my Jewish brethren, I want to wish everyone a happy new year and a good fast, Yom Kippur starts tonight. Today’s case comes to me courtesy of my friend and colleague from Dallas, Texas, Richard Hunt passed along the case of Ross v. City University of New York,
ADA and ADA Related Cases at the Supreme Court: Where They Have Been and What Is Next
Did you know that persons with disabilities are undefeated at the Supreme Court when it comes to title II and title III matters? It’s true.
Let us explore the ADA and ADA related cases that have been before the United States Supreme Court since the ADA went into effect. If I have this figured right,
Can Prisons Do what They Want with Respect to Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities in Their Prison Jobs?
In a previous blog entry, I discussed the case of Holmes v. Godinez. In that decision, which involved a class action brought on behalf of deaf inmates, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois said:
While it is true that typical ADA claims regarding employment must be brought under title
ADA and Class Actions; Not Impossible (Prisons)
Previously, I have written on whether class actions are possible with respect to ADA claims considering how ADA claims are inherently focused on individual analysis. From reading the case law on a regular basis, I am seeing class actions being allowed with respect to Olmstead claims. Outside of that, it tends to be hit or
Suing a state court system: Shooting down the Defenses
This posting is later than my usual Monday. However, Monday was Memorial Day and then I had family in.
In a previous blog entry of mine, I discussed how suing a state court system can be done but that it is very complicated. This case discusses the myriad of defenses that arise in such
ADA, Sovereign Immunity, and the County Jail
I
Introduction
One of the most complicated topics around is the doctrine of sovereign immunity, which comes from England and says that the King cannot be sued without his consent. We have carried over this doctrine into our 11th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As we have discussed previously numerous times, there are situations where
Professional licensing authorities and sovereign immunity
Recently, I talked about a decision from the 11th circuit which displayed a very good understanding of disability, in that case deafness, in a way that you do not often see in judicial decisions. Oftentimes when you are reading a case, you wonder whether a judge gets “disability,” so to speak. This particular blog entry
ADA and prisons
Just what is the exposure to prisons with respect to discriminating against prisoners with disabilities? Prisons have several areas of exposure. First, if a prisoner is employed by the prison and suffers discrimination on the basis of a disability with respect to that employment, title I is involved. Second, the programs and activities of the