Quimbee logo
DMCA.com Protection Status

Sutton v. United Airlines, Inc.

527 U.S. 471 (1999)
From our private database of 18,400+ case briefs...

Sutton v. United Airlines, Inc.

United States Supreme Court
527 U.S. 471 (1999)

 

Facts

Karen Hinton (plaintiff) was legally blind when not wearing corrective-vision lenses. With glasses, Hinton’s vision was 20/20 or better. Hinton applied for a position as a global airline pilot with United Airlines, Inc. (United) (defendant). United maintained a policy requiring all pilots to have, at minimum, 20/100 uncorrected sight. Because Hinton did not meet this requirement, United rejected her pilot application. Hinton sued United under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., alleging unlawful disability discrimination. The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit rejected Hinton’s claim, concluding she did not fall within an ADA-protected class. Hinton petitioned for review by the United States Supreme Court, which was granted.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (O’Connor, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 497,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 497,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 18,400 briefs, keyed to 985 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Questions & Answers

Have a question about this case?

Sign up for a free 7-day trial and ask it

Sign up for a FREE 7-day trial

Here's why 497,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 18,400 briefs - keyed to 985 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Top-notch customer support.