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Timeline of the Key Events of Currency Litigation

  1. On July 7, 1972, ACB adopted a resolution calling for accessible currency. Similar resolutions were adopted by ACB in 1977, 1978 and 1980.
  2. In 1983, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (“BEP”) conducted a study to evaluate possible changes in the design of currency which could be useful to the visually disabled.  
  3. The issue of currency identification by the visually disabled was addressed in a comprehensive 1995 study by the National Academy of Sciences.  The NAS Panel recommended the adoption by the Department of the Treasury of several features which could be used by the visually disabled to differentiate between denominations. 
  4. On May 6, 2002, ACB filed a complaint in the federal district court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794. The Complaint alleged that the design of U.S. currency violated Section 504 because blind and low vision persons are unable to effectively distinguish between the various denominations of U.S. currency.  
  5. On December 1, 2006, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a declaratory judgment finding that the design of U.S. currency violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794. Am. Council of the Blind v. Paulson, 463 F. Supp. 2d 51 (D.D.C. 2006). On May 20, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling of the district court.  Am. Council of the Blind v. Paulson, 525 F.3d 1256 (D.C. Cir. 2008).
  6. On October 3, 2008, the district court granted injunctive relief, directing the defendant to “take such steps as may be required to provide meaningful access to U.S. currency for blind and other visually impaired persons, which steps shall be completed” not later than the date of approval by the Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter “Secretary”) of the next currency redesign. Am. Council of the Blind v. Paulson, 581 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2008).
  7. In July 2009, a comprehensive study conducted by ARINC Inc., as to the potential costs associated with various forms of accessible currency was released. Based on this study, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on May 20, 2010, published the recommendations it would propose to the Secretary as to how to provide meaningful access. 75 Fed. Reg. 28331 (May 20, 2010). The Bureau recommended that the Secretary adopt the following three steps to provide meaningful access to United States currency as required by the district court’s injunctive order: (1) adding a raised tactile feature (RTF) to each Federal Reserve note that the Bureau may lawfully redesign, (2) continuing the Bureau’s program of adding large, high-contrast numerals and different colors to each denomination, and (3) implementing a supplemental currency reader distribution program for blind and other visually impaired U.S. citizens and legal residents. On May 31, 2011, this three-pronged approach to providing meaningful access to U.S. currency was approved by the Secretary of the Treasury. 
  8. On July 3, 2013, the Secretary filed with the district court a “White Paper Regarding Meaningful Access to U.S. Currency for Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals,” which the Secretary had previously submitted to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.  The White Paper established a 2020 target date for production of the new $10 banknote with accessible features.  
  9. On May 12, 2016, the Secretary filed a supplemental status report with the federal court establishing a new target date for accessible currency of 2026, beginning with the $10 note.  
  10. On June 6, 2016, the Council filed a motion to modify the injunctive order dated October 3, 2008.  The Council requested the injunctive order be modified to mandate that the $10 bill be made accessible not later than December 31, 2020, and the remaining denominations be made accessible not later than December 31, 2026.
  11. On January 6, 2017, the district court denied the Council’s motion.  The district court’s ruling was appealed by the Council. In a ruling dated December 26, 2017, the Court of Appeals held that the district court's ruling was not supported by substantial evidence.  On August 22, 2019, the district court again denied the Council’s motion to modify the injunctive decree to mandate that the $10 bill be made accessible not later than December 31, 2020, and the remaining denominations be made accessible not later than December 31, 2026. The ACB appealed the district court's ruling on October 21, 2019.  The Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's ruling on October 9, 2020. 
  12. As of today, the district court's injunctive order dated October 3, 2008, remains in effect. This order directed the defendant to “take such steps as may be required to provide meaningful access to U.S. currency for blind and other visually impaired persons, which steps shall be completed” not later than the date of approval by the Secretary of the Treasury of the next currency redesign. Am. Council of the Blind v. Paulson, 581 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2008).  The current target date established by the Secretary for the next currency redesign is 2026.