February 1, 2002

Iowa law professors, firm, author Supreme Court brief for National Council on Disability

IOWA CITY - University of Iowa College of Law professors Peter Blanck and Leonard Sandler, along with Diane Kutzko, Mark Zaiger, Douglas Oelschlaeger, and Sarah Gayer of the Cedar Rapids firm Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, have filed an amicus, or "friend of the court" brief to the U. S. Supreme Court in the case Chevron U.S.A. v. Echazabal, No. 00-1406. The brief was filed on behalf of the National Council on Disability.

Echazabal is a major case in the Supreme Court's recent line of Americans with Disability Act cases examining the employment rights of people with disabilities. The court will decide whether an employer can reject a job applicant with a disability who is qualified to do the job and not a safety risk to others in the workplace, but whose health condition may be worsened by the workplace environment.

Oral argument is set for Feb. 27 with a decision by the court expected this spring. Blanck, director of Iowa's Law, Health Policy & Disability Center, says the brief reflects the Center's focus on civil rights and disability employment policy. Iowa law graduate Lisa Clay also participated in the writing of the brief.

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