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Imprisoned Felons Voting

In an excellent analysis, Mark Impomeni explains the crucial case in which Judge Sotomayor opined that it was a slam-dunk case that CURRENTLY IMPRISONED FELONS -- not just felons who had completed their sentences, but actual, current jailbirds -- could no be denied the right to vote if their numbers are ethnically disproportionate. I continue to insist that conservatives are not focusing enough on this case, which has explosive political implications.

The truth is that felons are not denied the vote "on account of race," they are denied the vote on account of their own actions, their own breaking of the law, their own crimes, by and through which they themselves choose to forfeit their franchise (if they get caught, of course). Judge Sotomayor's argument to the contrary is tendentious at best. Impomeni does an excellent job providing the whole context for the dispute.

View all comments (5) | Leave a comment

Spicy Joker| 6.2.09 @ 4:57PM

It's a foregone conclusion that the go-along-to-get-along Republicans will do nothing to stop Sotomayor.

Pete| 6.2.09 @ 5:31PM

I wonder why we even vote any more. Why not just ask the U.N. to pick someone?

Missy| 6.3.09 @ 12:36AM

They'll do anything for power--kinda scary.

Marc Jeric| 6.3.09 @ 7:24AM

La Sotomayor has ruled that imprisoned felons have the right to vote if the prison population is predominantly black. Now that is a real racism! Some 70% of all murders in America are committed by blacks, with huge majority of victims being also black. So those black murderers of black victims should be given voting rights? La Sotomayor is not only anti-white racist but also anti-black racist as well.

Oldefarte| 6.3.09 @ 11:40AM

I wholeheartedly agree with Quin's and Mark's opinions, and would go further than Quin in suggesting [and hoping] that Republican congressmen [ie Sessions] will research [and I think possibly discover] a PATTERNED HISTORY of Sotomayor's prior words and actions. I have read [but cannot recall WHERE, possibly in the AS] that she was [I think in the 1980's as a member of a Latino-based group whose mantra and/or proclamations were that there was a discriminatory linkage between CAPITAL PUNISHMENT and RACISM [that prisons and the death penalty was extremely and disproportionately used against blacks and/or Latinos]. Again, I think that RACIST is too harsh a word to describe her[ since it implies a MEAN factor], but I do think that she is extremely narcissistic and believes in the [intellectual] of women, at least in the legal profession. I seem to recall that Larry Summers [currently one of Obama's advisors] was previously hounded out of Harvard [as president of that university] for exibiting the exact same thought process !!!!!

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More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/06/02/imprisoned-felons-voting

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