Pryor Nominated to 11th Circuit Court without Support of Disability Community
June 16, 2003

William Pryor's Nomination Endangers the Rights of People with Disabilities.

WASHINGTON, DC -- As early as this Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on the confirmation of William Pryor, Jr., to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers the States of Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Pryor, who currently serves as Alabama Attorney General, was nominated by President Bush and then on June 11 considered by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for a lifetime seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Pryor is considered by many Senators of both parties to be Bush's most controversial nominee to date.

Pryor has been an outspoken advocate for states' rights and has fought aggressively to prevent people with disabilities from enforcing their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act against the states. He has also spoken out in favor of legal arguments that would eliminate the right of individuals to enforce their rights to obtain Medicaid services that states are obligated to provide. Pryor is a member of the Federalist Society and participates in think tanks that promote a states' rights agenda.

"Bill Pryor's record as Attorney General of Alabama demonstrates his complete lack of appreciation for the history of unconstitutional discrimination against people with disabilities by state governments," said Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD President and CEO. "If Pryor is confirmed to this lifetime appointment, the U.S. Senate and the Bush Administration will be doing serious harm to the disability rights and civil rights movements in the U.S. for decades to come."

Because of Pryor's abysmal record on disability and civil rights, AAPD, the nation's largest cross-disability membership organization, joined today with countless disability and civil rights organizations nationally to oppose the Pryor nomination. Pryor awaits a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which could happen as early as Thursday, June 19.

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