Pardon Lenny Bruce
Celebrities & Noted Lawyers Support Campaign
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Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: New York
County Lawyers’ Association,
14 Vesey Street, 2nd floor auditorium, New York / (212) 267-6646,
ext. 214
Contact: Robert Corn-Revere: e-mail:
bobcornrevere@dwt.com
Ron Collins: e-mail: Rcollins@freedomforum.com
Web site: www.trialsoflennybruce.com
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On May 20, 2003, at 11:00 a.m., a press conference
will be held at the offices of the New
York County Lawyers’ Association asking Governor George E. Pataki
to posthumously pardon Lenny
Bruce for his November 1964 obscenity conviction. The petition
is being submitted by Ronald
Collins and David
Skover, co-authors of The
Trials of Lenny Bruce (2002).
Robert
Corn-Revere, a noted First Amendment lawyer and partner at Davis
Wright Tremaine in Washington, D.C., is the attorney of record in
the matter.
Contrary to popular belief, Bruce’s conviction for his performance
at the Café Au Go Go was never reversed insofar as Bruce
unsuccessfully attempted to conduct his own appeal, which was dismissed
on procedural grounds. Still, in 1970 the New York Court of Appeals
reversed the conviction in the companion case of People v. Solomon
(Howard Solomon, the owner of the Café Au Go Go, was also
busted for Bruce’s performance).
Collins noted that “this act of government contrition is long overdue.
That this precedent remains on the books is an affront to anyone
who values free speech. By his example, Lenny Bruce almost single-handedly
turned comedy clubs into free-speech zones. The historical record
should be set straight for that reason alone.” Echoing that thought,
Skover added: “New York should do today what it declined to do some
40 years ago, namely, recommit itself to the principle that censorship
is intolerable in a free society.”
“There is never a wrong time to do the right thing,” said Corn-Revere.
“By posthumously pardoning Lenny Bruce,” he continued, “the state
of New York declares to the world that it is a safe harbor of liberty
for creative minds.” Such an official act would do more than simply
honor Bruce’s personal commitment to freedom; it would serve as
a public monument to liberty.”
Lisa
Lampanelli, a contemporary New York comedian, will also speak
at the press conference.
Accompanying the petition are two letters of support, one signed
by noted celebrities
and comedians and the other signed by noted First
Amendment lawyers and scholars. Among others, those who have
signed letters of support for the posthumous-pardon petition include
the following celebrities and writers: Margaret
Cho, Phyllis Diller,
Nat
Hentoff, Penn Jillette,
Lisa
Lampanelli, Tom Smothers,
Dick Smothers, Teller,
and Robin Williams.
The following lawyers who once represented Lenny Bruce in his obscenity
trials, both in and outside of New York, have done likewise: Al
Bendich, Martin
Garbus, Edward
de Grazia, William
Hellerstein, and Maurice
Rosenfield. Professors Norman
Dorsen of New York University Law School, Nadine
Strossen of New York Law School, Laurence
Tribe of Harvard Law School, and Eugene
Volokh of UCLA Law School have also signed letters of support,
among others. Noted First Amendment lawyers, including Floyd
Abrams, Sandra Baron,
Marjorie Heins,
Lee
Levine, and Burton
Joseph have done likewise. The letter of support was signed
as well by Donna Lieberman,
executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
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Note: At 6:00 p.m. on May 20, 2003,
the New York County Lawyers' Association will host a continuing
legal education program entitled: “The
Trials of Lenny Bruce: Free Speech or Crude Comedy? An Update on
First Amendment Obscenity Law.” (This event is an educational
one and is therefore not connected with the campaign to pardon Lenny
Bruce.)
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