Commentary
Disenfranchisement in the News
A listing of recent news articles and commentary about felony disenfranchisement.
– 05/08/08
New York Set a Shameful Example
Gov. David Paterson’s unsurprising answer to the $55,900 question—whether or not to abide by his predecessor’s self-imposed $10,000 campaign contribution limit—was met with mostly shrugs last week, with the notable exception of the editorial page of this paper.
Authored by: Laura MacCleery and Andrew Stengel
– 05/06/08
Florida: a Tough Place to Cast a Ballot
Florida is courting electoral trouble. Heading toward another presidential election, state officials are making it increasingly difficult for citizens to vote, according to Miami Herald editorial.
– 04/30/08
Three Strikes Against Florida Voters
n the past three weeks, Florida courts and election officials have put new roadblocks in the way for Floridians who want to participate in elections and exercise their right to vote.
Authored by: Michael Slater, Wendy Weiser & Elizabeth Westfall
– 04/20/08
Unleash Legal Aid (New York Times Op-Ed)
Authored by: Joseph Sant
– 04/14/08
Money and Politics: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Remarks from the Governor of Arizona at the Brennan Center’s first Living Constitution Lecture
Authored by: Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ)
– 04/10/08
Fitna’s Hateful Crusade
Feared, condemned sight-unseen and praised as a celebration of free speech, Fitna, a seventeen-minute film by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, appeared on the Internet in late March. Fitna is a bombastic, bloody montage linking terrorist violence to Koranic texts.
Authored by: Aziz Huq
– 04/07/08
Restoring Felons’ Right to Vote Sensible, Fair
In this Lexington Herald-Leader op-ed, the Executive Director of the American Probation and Parole Association praises KY Gov Beshear’s efforts to ease the voting rights restoration process.
Authored by: Carl Wicklund
– 03/23/08
Justice for Sale
Certain American values transcend partisan divisions. One is that money should not influence the courts. But with record sums pouring into judicial elections, the ideal of due process is giving way to a perception of pay-to-play justice.
Authored by: James Sample
– 03/22/08
Another Example of Shoddy Legal Reasoning
Shoddy legal reasoning in memos the DoJ’s Office of Legal Counsel authored in response to 9/11 are a constant focus of the news media these days. Receiving less attention, but equally important, is the question whether the problems at the DoJ go beyond the war on terror. There are indications that they do, specifically an opinion on the 2003 “Leadership Act.”
Authored by: Laura K. Abel
– 03/13/08