Disability Law

SCOTUS declines to hear appeal of oldest active federal judge’s suspension

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from a 98-year-old judge—who's also the oldest active federal judge—of an order suspending her from her duties.

Jun 16, 2026 2:24 PM CDT

Wills and trust attorney gets 20 years in prison for stealing over $500K from kids’ trust

A San Antonio attorney received a 20-year prison sentence last week after pleading guilty of stealing more than $500,000 from six kids whose parents died in a murder-suicide five years ago.

Jun 9, 2026 9:31 AM CDT

Supreme Court dismisses death penalty case on people with mental disabilities

The Supreme Court on Thursday chose not to weigh in on what standards states should use to assess whether a person who commits a crime must be spared the death penalty because of intellectual disabilities.

May 21, 2026 10:39 AM CDT

Law grad can move forward with suit over bar exam accommodations, appeals court says

The appellate court in Colorado has revived a lawyer’s disability discrimination claim against the state’s attorney regulation office.

May 21, 2026 9:50 AM CDT

Yale Law student with psychiatric conditions denied anonymity in discrimination lawsuit

A federal appeals court denied Monday a Yale Law School student’s request to proceed under a pseudonym in a lawsuit aiming to stop the school from discharging her.

Apr 24, 2026 10:52 AM CDT

NCBE updates character report, changes questions related to mental health and substance abuse

The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ updates to its standard Character Report Application template used by many jurisdictions significantly changed questions related to mental health and substance abuse that previously put off many law students from receiving help.

Apr 22, 2026 11:39 AM CDT

Need extra time for the bar exam? You’re not alone

Accommodations allowing candidates to take more time to complete the bar exam are surging around the country, with more than one in eight test-takers in California and more than one in seven in Washington, D.C., granted extra time.

Apr 6, 2026 9:39 AM CDT

Employers face influx of lawsuits over disability accommodations, new report shows

In 2025, plaintiffs filed a record number of lawsuits alleging that their employers failed to provide reasonable disability accommodations, according to Lex Machina's 2026 Employment Litigation Report.

Mar 13, 2026 10:29 AM CDT

Oldest active federal judge asks Supreme Court to lift suspension

A 98-year-old judge—who's also the oldest active federal judge—petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to lift her suspension from hearing new cases.

Mar 13, 2026 10:03 AM CDT

Silent Struggles: Chronic illness, law firm culture and the need for psychological safety

We were in a small conference room—just me and the sixth-year associate. He was explaining an edit to the undisclosed liabilities representation clause of a merger agreement. I could hear his words, but all I could see was blurred black ink on the page.

Mar 11, 2026 9:10 AM CDT

OpenAI sued for practicing law without a license

OpenAI has been accused of practicing law without a license in a lawsuit brought by Nippon Life Insurance Co. of America.

Mar 6, 2026 8:41 AM CST

Possible dementia concerns with judge raised by oversight body

A Michigan judge has been fighting a professional misconduct case, but a new filing by the state oversight body for judges accused her of having a mental disability and indicates concerns with a possibility of dementia, according to a report by the Detroit Free Press.

Jan 12, 2026 1:54 PM CST

LA public defender forms pilot program designed to help defendants with neurocognitive disorders

Public defender Noah Cox had long noticed that certain clients had trouble expressing themselves and navigating the complex legal system they were facing. Many had a traumatic brain injury, dementia or a developmental disorder. Some were being misdiagnosed with mental health conditions or simply tagged with a low IQ.

Jan 6, 2026 9:10 AM CST

Federal budgets would further hit access to disability lawyers, advocates say

People with disabilities might find it more difficult to access lawyers to defend their rights if proposed federal budget cuts are approved, according to a story by USA Today.

Dec 15, 2025 11:11 AM CST

Supreme Court wrestles with death penalty in cases of intellectual disabilities

The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with whether to allow Alabama to execute a man with low cognitive function, a ruling that could set new rules for states to condemn those with borderline intellectual disabilities to death row.

Dec 10, 2025 3:45 PM CST