Casey Martin Case Summary

This case is about Casey Martin, a professional golfer, which had a disability that prevented him from trotting across the golf course in a timely matter. Martin had a degenerative circulatory disorder that constitutes a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (Quimbee.com, 2015). “Passed by Congress in 1990, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the nation’s first comprehensive civil rights law addressing the needs of people with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications (eeoc.gov, 1990).” Martin requested for the PGA Tour, Inc. and others in association with company to make an exception in their rules to accommodate him using a golf
cart in between golf shots instead of walking (Quimbee.com, 2015). Of course, the PGA Tour did not consider Martin’s request, which lead to the lawsuit that he filed against the company. Martin filed the suit in hopes of being granted a preliminary injunction due to his claim of having a hard time walking across the golf course (Quimbee.com, 2015). Martin’s request for the temporary injunction got granted by the district court, but PGA Tour appealed the decision (Sandel, 2011). The court of appeals agreed with the district courts’ decision due to the fact that it would not hurt the game just because Martin needed to use a golf cart. The golf course is considered a public facility for all to use under the Americans with Disabilities Act which gives Martin the right to be accommodated especially with his condition (Sandel, 2011). The PGA still refused to accept the court’s decision so they petitioned for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court (Sandel, 2011).