Civil Rights

Civil Rights

The Nebraska Examiner reported something disturbing you should know before you vote. Next week, the Supreme Court may continue taking away your rights. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in an Indiana case. The case will have national implications for millions of American citizens participating in federal programs.

Patients could lose their ability to sue over abuse and neglect. Advocates for the elderly, poor and people with disabilities warn that the Supreme Court will threaten federal benefit programs.

Immunity from Liability

The Estate of Gorgi Talevski filed a lawsuit against Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County for neglect. HHC argues that the Supreme Court should prohibit residents of nursing homes from suing the facilities for civil right violations.

Republican Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and attorneys general from 21 other states, including South Carolina, filed a separate brief, siding with HHC. Why is Alan Wilson trying to take our rights away?

Current members of Congress argue in their brief that the right to sue is “essential for efficient administration and oversight” of federal safety net programs such as Medicaid. Reversing that right would have “disastrous consequences.” The members of Congress wrote:

“Congress allocates billions of dollars each year in federal funds to assist the states in providing services for the nation’s most vulnerable individuals. Neither federal nor state authorities have sufficient resources to provide complete oversight over the funding funneled into state programs. … Both Congress and the states depend on private enforcement of rights encapsulated in these statutes to protect vulnerable individuals and groups.”