The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today on two cases testing whether people can sue states for damages under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The cases, both from Alabama, involved a nurse with breast cancer and a security guard with asthma. They accuse state-owned institutions of discriminating against them based on their disabilities, although they were competent to do their jobs. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports that in recent years the Court has cut back on the power of Congress to subject the states to lawsuits.
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