For Immediate Release
March 27, 2002
Contact Information:
Amanda Cooper, 212 998–6282
Media Alert: Florida Law Denying Vote to Ex-Felons Faces Critical Court Date
April 5 Hearing in Johnson v. Bush
When: Friday, April 5, 2002 – 10:00 a.m.
Where: Federal Courthouse in Miami
Courtroom of Judge James Lawrence King
99 NE Fourth Street
Courtroom Room 2, 11th Floor
Miami, Florida 33132
What: The hearing is the latest development in the case of Johnson v. Bush. The lawsuit seeks to restore voting rights to more than 600,000 ex-felons in the state of Florida who have served their time and are now productive, tax-paying citizens.
Judge King will hear argument on the state’s motions to exclude all or part of the testimony and reports of plaintiffs’ experts. They are Professor Theodore Chiricos, a criminologist who offers evidence on racial disproportionality in Florida’s felony conviction rates; Professor Christopher Uggen, a sociologist who has estimated the size of the plaintiff class and studied race disparities in Florida’s restoration of voting rights; Professor Richard Engstrom, a political scientist who offers evidence on racial polarization in voting in Florida and socioeconomic differences between races that relate to voting participation; and James D. Ginger, a former law enforcement executive and professor of criminal justice, who will offer evidence on the disproportionate racial effects of Florida’s law enforcement policies.
Who:Nancy Northup of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is lead attorney for the case. Co-counsel with the Brennan Center is the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Florida civil rights attorney James K. Green.
Plaintiffs and attorneys are available for comment or interview. Get more information, including briefs filed, by calling Amanda Cooper at 212.998.6736 or by going to the Johnson v. Bush page.