The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously revived a Georgia prisoner’s $1.2 million suit claiming that officials violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the justices sidestepped broader federalism questions presented by the case.
The narrow decision allowed rare agreement on the Supreme Court, which frequently splits 5-4 over how much power Congress has over state governments. The justices held that the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should not have dismissed ADA claims by Georgia inmate Tony Goodman that had been based on allegedly unconstitutional conduct such as cruel and unusual punishment.
