# What was the Supreme Court case 531 U.S. 356

legalpdf.io · August 4, 2026

> The Supreme Court case 531 U.S. 356 was Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett. In this case, the Supreme Court addressed whether...

The Supreme Court case 531 U.S. 356 was Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett. In this case, the Supreme Court addressed whether employees of the State of Alabama could recover monetary damages from the state due to its failure to comply with the provisions of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Court ultimately held that such suits against the state were barred by the Eleventh Amendment, which grants states sovereign immunity from private lawsuits for damages in federal court. The Court reasoned that the remedies created by the ADA against the states raised concerns about congruence and proportionality, similar to those found in the case of City of Boerne v. Flores. Specifically, the Court found that while it may be entirely rational and constitutional for a state employer to make hiring decisions based on the ability of an employee to perform the job, the ADA's requirement of accommodating disabled employees went beyond what was necessary to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection.

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