The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil
rights statute that has as its purpose "to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the
elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities."(1) Since its enactment in 1990,
it has been the subject of numerous lower court decisions and the Supreme Court has decided
nineteen ADA cases. Justice O'Connor has been in the majority in almost all of these decisions and
has been a deciding vote in several 5-4 decisions, notably in the recent decisions of Garrett v.
University of Alabama and Tennessee v. Lane regarding the application of the Eleventh Amendment
to the ADA. This report will not be updated.