Obama Judicial Nominee Opposed By Coalition of Disability Rights Organizations

Judge Andre Davis' Record Reveals Bias Against Workers with Disabilities

WASHINGTON, April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A national nonpartisan
coalition of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations today
announced their opposition to the confirmation of Judge Andre Davis, President
Obama's pick for a lifetime seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the
Fourth Circuit.

ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) are opposing
Davis because his record as a district court judge in Maryland reveals a bias
against workers with disabilities. The group stated that the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) is critical to the efforts of people with disabilities
to obtain and maintain employment and to become fully participating members of
their communities.

The organization's president, Jim Ward joined other leaders at the White House
last week and informed the Administration of their opposition. Ward stated
today, "The current leadership in Congress and the White House have promised
to select judicial nominees who understand the challenges facing working
Americans and who are committed to core value of equal justice. We believe
that in the area of disability rights this nominee's record does not meet
these baseline criteria and, therefore, we are opposed to Judge Davis's
elevation to the Fourth Circuit and will mobilize our membership in this
regard."

-- Judge Davis has repeatedly imposed inappropriately stringent standards
that have prevented individuals with disabilities from enforcing
rights
under federal antidiscrimination laws, particularly in the area of
employment.
-- He has made it exceedingly difficult for people to show that they are
individuals with disabilities entitled to the protections that
Congress
provided in the ADA.
-- He has incorrectly imposed procedural hurdles on ADA plaintiffs that
are
contrary to the ADA's requirements.
-- He has applied cramped interpretations of law to reject the
discrimination claims of workers with disabilities.

Supporting research can be found at www.adawatch.org

ADA Watch is a national, cross-disability coalition of hundreds of disability,
civil rights and social justice organizations united to defend and advance the
civil rights of people with disabilities. The National Coalition for
Disability Rights (NCDR) is the national association of state disability
coalitions. For nearly a decade, ADA Watch/NCDR's Campaign for Fair Judges has
informed the disability community and the general public regarding judicial
nominees that pose a threat, based on their public records, to civil rights
protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other
disability rights laws. While not all of our national and state coalition
partners take positions on judicial nominees or share this position, a
majority of our Board of Directors has voted to formally oppose the
confirmation of Judge Davis.

SOURCE ADA Watch Coalition

Jim Ward, Founder and President, ADA Watch & National Coalition for Disability
Rights (NCDR), +1-202-448-9928, jward@ncdr.org