BAC Rutland

Dear Senator:

I write on behalf of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to express our strong support for the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. After extensive review of Judge Sotomayor’s disability-related rulings from her career as a trial judge and appeals court judge, along with her public statements in speeches and in interviews, AAPD’s bipartisan Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the confirmation of Judge Sotomayor because of the Board members’ belief that she will apply the law in a manner that safeguards the civil rights of all Americans, including people with disabilities.

Judge Sotomayor has an exemplary judicial record.  Her interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) demonstrates her firm commitment to protecting civil rights and safeguarding human liberty. Her opinions are thoughtful, fair, and respectfully interpret the law. As a judge on both the district and circuit courts, Sotomayor has carefully interpreted major disability rights laws like the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These laws were designed to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities, and her conscientious application of these laws in her decisions shows her respect for Congress’s intent to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination.

In significant ADA cases concerning the definition of “disability”–an area of the law where our community has had great difficulty with the Supreme Court and lower federal courts–Judge Sotomayor has thoughtfully and fairly evaluated testimony to determine whether the plaintiff was protected by the law.

Her jurisprudence in the disability area shows that she has a good understanding of the real-life implications of her decisions, and sees the important connections between disability rights laws and other civil rights laws.  Her personal experience as a woman with childhood-onset insulin-treated diabetes gives her additional insights that have informed her approach to disability issues.

In our 14 year history, AAPD has never weighed in to support or oppose a nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States.  We are breaking that neutrality with this nomination because we believe that Judge Sotomayor will help bring some balance to a Supreme Court that has repeatedly interpreted the ADA and the Constitution in a miserly manner that has seriously undermined Congressional efforts to recognize and protect our civil rights.  Unfortunately, at the moment, we do not believe we have one Justice on the current Supreme Court who has consistently interpreted the ADA and other key civil rights laws in a manner that respects and follows Congressional intent and reflects a fair and just reading of the U.S. Constitution.

Based on her record and her experience, Judge Sonia Sotomayor is extremely well qualified to replace Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court.  Should you have questions about Judge Sotomayor’s record in the area of disability rights or the analysis that supports AAPD’s position, please feel free to contact me.  I also encourage you to look at the materials analyzing her record at www.aapd.com.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Imparato
President and CEO