Thomas K. Gilhool

Thomas K. Gilhool (September 10, 1938 – August 22, 2020) was an American civil rights attorney. Noted as an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, he served as the chief counsel for the Public Interest Law Center in Philadelphia from 1975 until 2000.[4][3]

Thomas K. Gilhool
Born(1938-09-10)September 10, 1938
Ardmore, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedAugust 22, 2020(2020-08-22) (aged 81)
Alma materLehigh University, Yale University, Yale Law School
Occupation(s)Disability and civil rights attorney
Years active1964–2008
AwardsARC Award, Philadelphia Bar Association;[1] Outstanding Leadership in Disability Law Award, TASH[2][3]

Gilhool was the lead counsel in Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which established the constitutional right of children with disabilities to a free, appropriate public education. The case triggered 32 federal court decisions, with Congress enacting the Education for All Handicapped Children Act – which became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – in 1975.[5] Gilhool also represented the parents of institutional residents in Halderman vs. Pennhurst State School and Hospital, a landmark case which concluded that developmentally disabled patients under state care have a constitutional right to appropriate treatment and education.[6]

Initially focused on law related to poverty, Gilhool began his career as a public interest lawyer in the 1960s.[7][8] He won the first legal services case to reach the United States Supreme Court, Smith v. Reynolds, in which the Court struck down the durational residency requirement for public assistance benefits.[9][2]

References
  1. "PISHamiltonRecipients". www.philadelphiabar.org. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  2. "2017 Outstanding Leadership in Disability Law Award Dinner & Symposium". Tash.org. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  3. Solomon, Wendy E. (1989-06-07). "EDUCATION; Pennsylvania Schools Chief Quits Amid Criticism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  4. Cook, Bonnie L. (28 August 2020). "Thomas K. Gilhool, lawyer who fought for rights of the disabled, dies at 81". Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  5. Shister, Gail (15 May 2008). "A lawyer rests to sit in the sun". Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  6. Pelka, Fred (October 1, 2009). "The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement Oral History Project". berkeley.edu. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  7. Pelka, Fred, 1954– (2012). What we have done: an oral history of the disability rights movement. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-1-61376-190-8. OCLC 806323339.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Hinds, Michael Decourcy (1989-11-10). "Philadelphia Journal; Hard Fight To Teach 7th Grade Is Over". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  9. "Smith v. Reynolds, 277 F. Supp. 65 (E.D. Pa. 1968)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
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