Jesse SchecknerAugust 28, 2023
7min0
The group has undergone much upheaval since he retired 5 years ago.
Tag: Howard Simon
Jesse SchecknerAugust 28, 2023
A.G. GancarskiSeptember 19, 2018
5min748
Vote-by-mail ballots offer convenience to those using them, but an ACLU of Florida report released Wednesday shows that some ballots are more likely to be rejected than others. The ACLU study, “Vote-By-Mail Ballots Cast in Florida,” shows a higher rejection rate in the 2012 and 2016 general elections for mail ballots than those cast in person, […]
Staff ReportsApril 9, 2018
4min238
Howard Simon, the longest-serving American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) official, is retiring at the end of the year. Simon spent the last 21 years as head of the ACLU of Florida, and directed the organization’s Michigan office for 23 years before that. “His cumulative 44-year career … is the longest in the ACLU’s 98-year history,” the group […]
Peter SchorschJanuary 25, 2018
4min704
A proposed Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) amendment on “privacy” for the 2018 ballot could unravel protections guaranteed to Floridians, according to one of the lawmakers who wrote the state’s 1980 privacy amendment. The proposal, sponsored by Constitution Revision Commissioner John Stemberger and drafted by former Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Bell, would add 10 words to […]
Staff ReportsMay 16, 2017
4min357
There’s a new podcast on the block. SalterMitchell is launching Fluent in Floridian, a new podcast featuring state leaders talking about issues important to the people of Florida and the people who visit the Sunshine State each year. The podcast will tackle issues like economic development, environmental protection, transportation, tourism, politics and taxes. Released weekly, […]
Mitch PerryMarch 6, 2017
6min327
There are numerous criminal justice reform bills already moving in committees in the Florida House and Senate this year, and on Monday a nonpartisan coalition called The Florida Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform announced its formation on the eve of the 2017 Legislative Session kicking off on Tuesday. The Florida Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform includes the Southern […]
Gary FineoutMay 25, 2016
4min202
Florida is going to pay at least $213,000 for its losing battle to keep intact a voter-approved ban on gay marriage. State officials have agreed to pay that much to the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida to cover attorney fees and other costs. Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s office is also actively negotiating a settlement […]
Mitch PerryMay 19, 2016
4min415
The ACLU of Florida wants state officials to know that protecting transgender students is not only required by law, but “is the right thing to do.” In a letter penned to Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Education Commissioner Pam Stewart, the civil liberties group writes that “we hope that you will recognize the […]
Mitch PerryNovember 16, 2015
4min358
Rick Scott‘s request to congressional leaders that they find a way to stop the funding of several hundreds of Syrian refugees may be playing well with in some quarters on Monday, but the ACLU and the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) are blasting him over it. “In these moments of pain and escalated fear, we should […]
Ryan RayJuly 29, 2015
5min183
Florida can start enforcing a contentious law that restricts what doctors can say to patients about guns. The measure was adopted by the Florida Legislature four years ago, but had been caught in a lengthy court battle in which a federal judge in Miami had blocked the law from taking effect. But the 11th U.S. […]