Garrett, et al. v. University of Alabama
DREDF went before the Supreme Court of the United States on October 11, 2000 to argue the Garrett, et al. v. University of Alabama, et al. case, in which Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act was at stake. DREDF authored the respondents’ Supreme Court brief along with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Michael Gottesman, Larry Gold and the Alabama law firm of Gordon, Silberman, Wiggins & Childs which represented former Alabama employees and respondents Patricia Garrett and Milton Ash. On February 21, 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that government workers with disabilities are not protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Chief Justice Rehnquist wrote for the majority that “states are not required by the Fourteenth Amendment to make special accommodations for the disabled.” (February 2001)
Amici (or “friends”) nationwide filed briefs in support of the ADA.
Read DREDF’s press release, Civil Rights Advocates Decry Supreme Court Decision, following the Supreme Court’s decision in the Garrett case.