ADA Watch on Alito Confirmation

See this press release. An excerpt:

Today the U.S. Senate voted 58-42 to confirm Samuel Alito to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court. Facing widespread opposition - including that of mainstream disability organizations representing millions of Americans - Alito received the second highest number of votes against a confirmed Supreme Court nominee in the nation's history.

Polls have indicated the general public's concern about a judicial nominee that would weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is second only to "choice" issues. Despite this, very little attention was paid by the media and others to the potential impact of Alito's record on the rights of people with disabilities.

In recent years, numerous Supreme Court cases impacting federal protections for people with disabilities have been split 5-4 decisions. Core legal rights of people with disabilities - and all Americans - are now in jeopardy as Justice Alito joins a majority that has routinely ruled to undermine Congressional efforts to provide "justice for all."

During Alito's confirmation hearing, specific concerns regarding the authority of Congress to protect citizens with the ADA and other laws were voiced mainly by Republicans such as Senators Specter and DeWine. Ironically, these senators then voted for confirmation despite evidence that Alito would only further weaken these vital protections.

ADA Watch opposed Justice Alito's confirmation. The AAPD, by contrast, supported Justice Alito's confirmation. See this post on Edge-Centric for a sense of the intra-disability-community politics of the issue.