WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court continued to narrow scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act Tuesday.
The justices unanimously threw out a lower-court ruling in favor of an Arizona man who claimed he was discriminated against because an employer thought he was a drug addict.
An opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas said the lower court improperly used a "disparate-impact" analysis -- the employer's policy had more impact on some workers than others -- for the man's "disparate-treatment" claim.
A claim of "disparate-treatment" means the man believes the employer discriminated against him.
Thomas said the company's policy of never rehiring anyone who had previously been fired for workplace misconduct was an adequate defense against a discrimination claim.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, among other things, bans discrimination in the hiring of an otherwise qualified person because of a disability.
