Summary: This week, outgoing Governor Steve Beshear announced he would restore voting rights for Kentuckians convicted of most non-violent felonies. "The right to vote is one of the most intrinsically American privileges," Beshear said, "and thousands of Kentuckians are living, working and paying taxes in the state but are denied this basic right." Kentuckians for the Commonwealth's Sean Hardy joins us this week to talk about the importance re-enfranchising voters. He says keeping felons from voting doesn't fit in with a rehabilitation model of punishment. "You go in, you serve your time, you pay your debt to society, and you come back out to be a productive member of society," he explains. "Voting is part of that productive membership." Lost voting rights for non-violent offenses have historically affected African Americans disproportionately (thanks in part to the war on drugs). And being excluded from casting a ballot isn't the only way black Americans are excluded from the system of government — last week we talked about Jefferson Circuit Judge Olu Stevens, who's come under fire from prosecutors for dismissing two all-white juries in trials with black defendants. Stevens laid his case out on facebook, and said prosecutors are happy to have all-white juries hear their cases. Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton removed Jefferson Circuit Judge Olu Stevens from two criminal cases before him, and the state's highest court is expected to rule next week on whether he'll be removed from hearing all criminal cases. We talked this week about the activism springing up around Stevens, and equality in the legal system. We'll keep you posted as the story develops. We also chatted with Hardy about an upcoming fundraiser for Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, which happens to be a black trivia night — and we couldn't resist the chance to try our hand at some of his sample questions. See if you get more right answers than we did!
