Statute Annotations › Federal › 42 U.S.C. § 12101

42 U.S.C. § 12101

Findings and purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act: the cases that interpreted this section

Jurisdiction
Federal
Case notes
602
Cited in passing
12,594
Citing cases indexed
14,304
Case dates
1993–2026
Screened through
2026-06-30
Checked for later law changes
2026-09-30
Courts' treatment: live
No reviewed case has held this section invalid, preempted, superseded or repealed.
This reflects what the reviewed cases said, not legislative action: a later amendment or repeal by the legislature would not appear here unless a reviewed case discussed it.

13,196 citing cases reviewed of 14,304 in the citation index: 602 interpreted the section (annotated below), 12,594 cited it only in passing. Cases filed after 2026-06-30 may not have been reviewed yet.

Have a situation under 42 U.S.C. § 12101?

These notes show how courts have ruled. Ask about your specific facts and see which of these rulings apply, with citations you can check.

Congressional authority

Section 12101(b)(4) states that the ADA invokes Congress’s authority, including its Fourteenth Amendment enforcement power, to address disability discrimination.

Schall v. Wichita State University · filed 2000-06-09(b)(4)

The ADA was enacted to enforce the Equal Protection Clause. 42 U.S.C. 12101(b)(4) (1994) sets forth that the purpose of the ADA was “to invoke the sweep of congressional authority, including the power to enforce the fourteenth amendment ... in order to address the major areas of discrimination faced day-to-day by people with disabilities.”
Read the full opinion on CourtListener →

Contracting around ADA responsibilities

Section 12101’s stated purposes prevent parties from contracting away their ADA compliance responsibilities.

Equal Rights Center v. Archstone Smith Trust · filed 2009-03-18(a)(1)–(a)(2)

To illustrate, among the purposes of the ADA are “(1) to provide a clear and comprehensive national' mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities [and] (2) to provide clear, strong, consistent, enforceable standards addressing discrimination against individuals with disabilities.” 42 U.S.C. § 12101(a)(1) — (a)(2).' These goals would be undermined if parties could simply “contract around” their responsibilities under the statute.
Read the full opinion on CourtListener →

Notes 601–602 of 602, oldest cases first.

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