The Inspiration Behind the Case
Mr. Lovitky brought the accessible-currency case in memory of Dr. Sandra Welner, the woman he loved. Because she was visually impaired, he saw firsthand how difficult it was for her to distinguish U.S. paper bills, and he sorted her money by denomination when she traveled. After her death, he brought the lawsuit on behalf of the American Council of the Blind so that others would not face the same barrier. Their story was told by the Associated Press in “Love story led to suit to change currency.”
As sole counsel to the American Council of the Blind, Mr. Lovitky pursued that goal through landmark litigation seeking meaningful access to U.S. paper currency for people who are blind or visually impaired. The case produced the following appellate and federal district court decisions.
Appellate Decisions
- American Council of the Blind v. Mnuchin, 977 F.3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2020)
- American Council of the Blind v. Mnuchin, 878 F.3d 360 (D.C. Cir. 2017)
- American Council of the Blind v. Paulson, 525 F.3d 1256 (D.C. Cir. 2008)
Federal District Court Decisions
- American Council of the Blind v. Mnuchin, 396 F. Supp. 3d 147 (D.D.C. 2019)
- American Council of the Blind v. Lew, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 220995 (D.D.C. 2017)
- American Council of the Blind v. Paulson, 581 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2008)
- American Council of the Blind v. Paulson, 463 F. Supp. 2d 51 (D.D.C. 2006)
- American Council of the Blind v. Snow, 311 F. Supp. 2d 86 (D.D.C. 2004)