The Court that honored our ADA last year may take it away this fall |
Attorney Steve Gold addresses rally for the ADA on May 12, 1999. Photo by Tom Olin. |
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There are two smart things you can do to change this bad news to good. See below. |
from communications with Bob
Kafka The Court in the case of Garrett v University of Alabama will answer this critical question: Did Congress overstep its authority when it passed the ADA? Arguments will likely be heard in October, with a decision issued in early 2001. If the Court rules against us, it could be a major step on the road to gutting the ADA. Recent Court cases on states rights -- and this is another -- have not been in our favor. Garrett is a direct attack on our civil rights. Right
now we can build our legal case and send a political message
-- "Don't mess with the ADA!" You can prevent the Attorney
General in your state from signing onto Hawaii's amicus
brief against the ADA. Minnesota's AG is writing a pro-ADA
amicus brief. That's the one we want states to sign onto. As
we learned last year with Olmstead, states CAN take their
names off the Hawaii brief even after the Court has heard
the case. The sky is falling again in Garrett v. U. of Alabama from Mark Johnson At
issue in the Garrett case is whether Congress had the
constitutional authority under the Fourteenth Amendment to
enact the ADA. If the Supreme Court says it did not,
individuals (such as L.C. and E.W. in the Olmstead case) may
no longer enforce Titles I and II against states. The
Olmstead decision would be lost, and unenforceable. |
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What
to do about it 1. Get your state's attorney general to sign onto Minnesota's amicus brief in the Garrett case. Start by calling his or her office and talking with the public servants he or she employs. When you get an answer on where that office stands, organize from there to support or resist your state's stance. 2
.
Promote the
October 2nd Freedom March and Rally in
DC. This is
being coordinated by the American Association of People with
Disabilities (AAPD) and has a host of national groups
working to make it successful. Rallies
and marches in and of themselves won't save the ADA but it
would be a show of power and energize people as we go back
to our respective states. Your support would be
appreciated. |
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See some truly psycho news you can do something about. Click here. |
This article is reprinted from Mouth #60, the Mouth Chronicles issue. |
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Below are photos by P.Sue Kullen from the May 12, 1999, rally for the Supreme Court's hearing of the Olmstead case. With 4,000 participants, it was the largest disability rights gathering in history. Some called it "our Woodstock." A crowd of 50,000 would wake up the whole wide world. |
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