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Court of Session rules in favour of prisoners’ right to vote: legal aid award complaint

Monday, February 05, 2007

Update

“Ex-prisoner may win £5,000 in legal aid over voting case” Scotsman
“Anger at convict’s legal aid bill” BBC

Following posted on 05.02.07
“100 prisoners in legal fight over voting” Sunday Herald

Following posted on 26.01.07
“Jail ruling won’t stop elections: ministers” Courier
“Taxpayers to face legal bills as prisoners seek damages” Herald
“We are in rum company over prisoners’ rights” Herald
“Scottish judges have ruled that a ban on prisoner voting breaches human rights laws, but should inmates be allowed to vote?” Scotland on Sunday
“Prison vote fiasco set to cost millions in legal aid” Scotsman
“Prisoners’ votes are least of our worries” Scotsman. Article by Clive Fairweather, former Chief Inspector of Prisons.
“Holyrood row over May’s election ” BBC
“First Minister says prison decision will not derail election” STV
“Ministers hit back in prison election row” Evening Times
“Where we went wrong on human rights laws” Evening News

Following posted on 25.01.07

“Prisoner row may delay elections” Courier
“A boot in the ballots” Should they get the right?” “Outrage over vote for cons” Daily Record 25.1.07
“£7m for prisoners denied the vote at Holyrood elections” Herald
“Ministers had a year to act on jail voting” Herald
“Voting for prisoners” Herald
“Ruling on votes for prisoners could postpone 2007 Holyrood elections” Scotsman
“Incompetence over voting ban” Scotsman
“Court rules on prison voting ban” BBC
“Prisoners to get right to vote” STV
“Legality of May elections challenged” Law Society Journal Online

Press release
“Tories slam Executive weakness and expose SNP hypocrisy” Scottish Conservatives
“MacAskill: Court of Session Ruling ‘Utter Nonsense’” SNP

See also
DCA (December 2006) Voting rights of convicted prisoners detained within the United Kingdom – the UK Government’s response to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights judgement in the case of Hirst v. the United Kingdom

William Smith (AP) v K.D. Scott Electoral Registration Officer

Official Report 25.1.07: Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP):  I refer the First Minister to yesterday’s court ruling on prisoners’ voting rights. We are told on page 3 of the court’s judgement that the Scottish Executive was given notice of the appeal when it was lodged back in 2004, that under the Human Rights Act 1998 it had a right to become involved, but that it chose not to become a party to the case. Why did it make that choice?

Posted by MM on Mon 5th Feb 2007 at 8:35 am
Europe and justice Human Rights Prisons and prisoners • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend