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Unit: $U83

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Cite as: 524 U. S. 206 (1998)

209

Opinion of the Court

States and the Federal Government,” we will interpret a
statute to preserve rather than destroy the States’ “substan-
501 U. S., at 460–461 (citations and
tial sovereign powers.”
internal quotation marks omitted).
It may well be that ex-
ercising ultimate control over the management of state pris-
ons, like establishing the qualiﬁcations of state government
ofﬁcials, is a traditional and essential state function subject
to the plain-statement rule of Gregory.
“One of the primary
functions of government,” we have said, “is the preserva-
tion of societal order through enforcement of the criminal
law, and the maintenance of penal institutions is an essential
part of that task.” Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U. S. 396, 412
(1974), overruled on other grounds, Thornburgh v. Abbott,
490 U. S. 401, 414 (1989).
“It is difﬁcult to imagine an activ-
ity in which a State has a stronger interest,” Preiser v. Rod-
riguez, 411 U. S. 475, 491 (1973).

Assuming, without deciding, that the plain-statement rule
does govern application of the ADA to the administration of
state prisons, we think the requirement of the rule is amply
met: the statute’s language unmistakably includes State pris-
ons and prisoners within its coverage. The situation here
is not comparable to that in Gregory. There, although
the ADEA plainly covered state employees, it contained an
exception for “ ‘appointee[s] on the policymaking level’ ”
which made it impossible for us to “conclude that the statute
plainly cover[ed] appointed state judges.” 501 U. S., at 467.
Here, the ADA plainly covers state institutions without any
exception that could cast the coverage of prisons into doubt.
Title II of the ADA provides:

“Subject to the provisions of this subchapter, no quali-
ﬁed individual with a disability shall, by reason of such
disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied
the beneﬁts of the services, programs, or activities of a
public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any
such entity.” 42 U. S. C. § 12132.