High Court Rules State Inmates Can Sue
FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2011 file photo, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan speaks in Washington. The Pentagon is likely to be largely sidelined from decisions on which terror leaders are targeted for drone attacks. The plan, aimed at streamlining the counterterror war, would concentrate the power to strike with lethal U.S. force outside war zones within one small team at the White House. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) / Susan Walsh
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a Georgia inmate should get a fresh chance to prove that the state owes him damages for not accommodating his disability.
The court said that state prisoners whose constitutional rights are violated behind bars can win damages, but justices stopped short of deciding a more significant question: whether states can be opened to broader suits under the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act.
Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the court, said that lower courts should reconsider the case of 41-year-old Georgia inmate Tony Goodman, who contends he was kept for more than 23 hours a day in a cell so narrow he could not turn his wheelchair.
Goodman had been supported in the case by the Bush administration, which argued that lawsuits should be allowed under the disabilities act, a law meant to ensure equal treatment for the disabled.
The Supreme Court had previously ruled that people in state prisons are protected by the law, and the follow-up case asked whether individual prisoners have recourse in the courts.
Tuesday's opinion left room for some lawsuits, but justices delayed deciding how much room.
Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in a concurring opinion, said that both sides have a chance to "create a more substantial factual record" before the justices reconsider the issue.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring, was the deciding vote the last time justices ruled on the scope of the 1990 law, siding with the four more liberal court members in a 2004 decision which held that states could be sued for damages for not providing the disabled access to courts.
Stevens cited that opinion on Tuesday and said that it should be a "guide" as Goodman's case winds its way through the court system again.
© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The court said that state prisoners whose constitutional rights are violated behind bars can win damages, but justices stopped short of deciding a more significant question: whether states can be opened to broader suits under the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act.
Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the court, said that lower courts should reconsider the case of 41-year-old Georgia inmate Tony Goodman, who contends he was kept for more than 23 hours a day in a cell so narrow he could not turn his wheelchair.
Goodman had been supported in the case by the Bush administration, which argued that lawsuits should be allowed under the disabilities act, a law meant to ensure equal treatment for the disabled.
The Supreme Court had previously ruled that people in state prisons are protected by the law, and the follow-up case asked whether individual prisoners have recourse in the courts.
Tuesday's opinion left room for some lawsuits, but justices delayed deciding how much room.
Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in a concurring opinion, said that both sides have a chance to "create a more substantial factual record" before the justices reconsider the issue.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring, was the deciding vote the last time justices ruled on the scope of the 1990 law, siding with the four more liberal court members in a 2004 decision which held that states could be sued for damages for not providing the disabled access to courts.
Stevens cited that opinion on Tuesday and said that it should be a "guide" as Goodman's case winds its way through the court system again.
- no previous page
- next
1/2
Recommended
- Cell Phones: Evolution Or Revolution?
- College Admission: Tough Times For Girls?
- The Kitty Litter Capital Of The U.S.
- Court Voids Law Banning Animal Cruelty Videos
- On Tape: Man Sets Wife On Fire Play Video
- Kenneth Lay Dies At 64 Play Video
- Gaining Consciousness Play Video
- Fast Draw: Marijuana Play Video
