Appealed From: U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit
Subjects: Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act; HIV; Duties of Health Care Providers

At Issue: Whether people who are infected with HIV, even if they have no AIDS-related symptoms, are protected from discrimination under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Decision: By a 5-4 vote, the court ruled that HIV-infected people are protected by the federal ban on discrimination against the disabled, even if they suffer no symptoms of AIDS.

• Read the full text of the Bragdon v. Abbott decision at the Findlaw Internet Legal Resources Web site.

• Listen to the Bragdon v. Abbott oral argument in RealAudio at the Oyez Oyez Oyez Web site.

• Read the full text of the 1997 lower court case, Abbott v. Bragdon, from the U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit Web site. The case is also available at FindLaw.

• Read the full text of the Americans with Disabilities Act, along with more information at the ADA Home Page at the Department of Justice Web site.

Sources: The Washington Post, Supreme Court, The United States Law Week (a Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. publication)