The 2004 Supreme Court ruling Tennessee v. Lane was a landmark victory for Americans with disabilities. The main plaintiff in the case was George Lane, who was arrested in 1996 for failure to appear in a court building in Polk County, TN, that had no elevator to bring him to the second floor where his hearing was scheduled. Lane’s attorney Bill Brown, a self-described country lawyer, quickly conducted research and determined that 25 percent of Tennessee’s courthouses were inaccessible under the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dan Iacovella’s documentary details how Lane and Brown were able to take on the state of Tennessee and ultimately bring their case to the highest court in the nation, which ruled in their favor in a tight 5-4 decision. While the filmmaking itself is unexceptional, this is a valuable recounting of an important case, presented with excellent extras that include additional interviews, MP3 audio files of the Supreme Court’s hearing and opinion in Tennessee v. Lane, and PDF legal documents related to the case. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Rule of Law
(2016) 47 min. DVD: $250. Bullfrog Films. PPR. SDH captioned. ISBN: 1-941545-70-X. Volume 33, Issue 4
Rule of Law
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