Oliphant turns to Florida attorney general to argue against her suspension

By Scott Wyman
Staff writer
January 3 2004

Lawyers for Miriam Oliphant have asked Florida's attorney general to go to court on her behalf and challenge Gov. Jeb Bush's decision to suspend her as Broward County elections supervisor.

The long-shot move seeks to have Attorney General Charlie Crist accuse the governor of overstepping his authority and violating Oliphant's constitutional rights. Oliphant wants Crist to decide within 10 days whether he will take up her cause, but she plans to press ahead with her legal challenge on her own if he refuses.

Oliphant's lead lawyer, John Contini, argues that Bush acted improperly because Oliphant was suspended indefinitely without pay and has not been guaranteed a date when the state Senate would consider whether to reinstate her or remove her permanently. In his letter to Crist, Contini compares Bush's actions to that of a banana republic dictator and urges him to fight for Oliphant and the voters who elected her in 2000.

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