Docket Number: 97-1992
Appealed From: U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit
Subjects: Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. 12112(a); employment discrimination

At Issue: Whether medication or other mitigating measures should be considered in assessing if an individual is "disabled" under the terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Decision: The justices ruled that the condition the petitioner suffers and controls with medication is not considered "disabling" under the Americans With Disabilities Act. The condition and medication preclude him from performing only a particular job and do not substantially limit him in employment.

• The full text of the Murphy v. United Parcel Service decision is available at the FindLaw Internet Legal Resources Web site.

• The full text of the 1997 decision in the 10th Circuit case, Murphy v. United Parcel Service, also is available at FindLaw.

• Full text of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Justice Department's ADA home page.

• The pertinent provision on equal employment opportunities for the disabled in the U.S. Code (42 U.S.C. 12112 (a)), is available at the Web site for the U.S. House of Representatives' Office of the Law Revision Counsel.

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