In response to a statement released Saturday July 10 by Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood indicating that the state will suspend the use of its “potential felon” purge list for 2004, Ralph G. Neas, President of the People For the American Way Foundation, has the following statement:

“This smells to high heaven. It strains credulity to think that Hispanics were somehow left off the list, while African Americans remained on the list.

“While it appears that the checks and balances of a robust democracy have prevailed in this instance, the actions of the state have been either inept or nefarious. Jeb Bush must be held accountable for his administration’s unconscionable conduct. After all, the buck does stop at the Governor’s office.”

People For the American Way Foundation was co-counsel in a lawsuit challenging the state’s infamous 2000 purge list, and has been aggressively seeking to prevent abuses in the implementation of the 2004 list.