Federal judges interpret and enforce the law. Federal judges' actions have a profound impact on people with disabilities, including their ability to live independently in the community and to be treated fairly by the criminal justice system.
In the years following passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, federal courts across the country issued decisions that improperly narrowed that law's important rights and protections for people with mental illnesses.
To ensure that federal judges have proper respect for the rights of people with disabilities, the Bazelon Center closely monitors nominations to the federal bench -- nominations for the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and U.S. District Courts (federal trial courts) -- and produces legal analyses of nominees’ records on disability issues for grassroots advocates, media, and members and staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition to bringing nominees’ views about disability to the nation’s attention, we use the confirmation process to shine a light on disability rights, encouraging our Senators and the rest of society to consider the importance of law in the lives of people with disabilities.