Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a 41-year-old disabled inmate can sue the state of Georgia for his injuries and suffering. The inmate, Tony Goodman, is confined to a wheelchair and claims that he suffered numerous injuries on two different occasions while attempting to use his prison cell bathroom.

A ruling in his favor could open cash-strapped prison systems across the country to costly lawsuits from disabled prisoners. And that prospect could force aging prison systems to move faster and spend millions to become handicapped-accessible.

Goodman is accusing the Georgia Department of Corrections of intentional neglect under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the 1990 federal law requiring that many businesses and buildings take reasonable steps to accommodate disabled people.