The Supreme Court: Keeping Things Equal

Keeping Things Equal

Discrimination on the basis of disability is the most common type of equality case that makes it to the Supreme Court today. The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the reason for the current influx of cases.

Another key equality issue, admissions policies at universities, faced new court scrutiny in 2003 as the Court announced a mixed decision on affirmative action. This was the Court's first major case revisiting the issue of affirmative action and college admissions since the landmark 1978 Bakke v. Regents of the University of California.

In this section, I'll review key recent cases related to affirmative action and disability rights.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Supreme Court © 2004 by Lita Epstein, J.D.. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.