"Pardon him, Governor!" — editorial by New York Daily News
Dec. 21, 2009 — Read here

O'Hara reinstated to practice law!
Read here

Statement by actor Chris Noth

On Election Day, thousands of New Yorkers, including myself, could be subject to felony prosecution when we cast our vote. This is because of a precedent set by the case of the People v. John O’Hara. O’Hara’s story has been chronicled in Harper’s Magazine, in scores of articles in the New York Times and in every major daily, and even overseas in the pages of magazines like the New Zealand Herald.

In 1996, at the age of 35, John Kennedy O’Hara was indicted by the Brooklyn district attorney for registering to vote and for voting. The nature of his crime? He voted from a residence that was not his “principal and permanent residence” – in other words, he kept two apartments and was registered to vote from one of them. Under the strictest interpretation of the election law statutes in New York State, voters are absurdly required to pledge allegiance to one residence, indefinitely. Otherwise, you’re subject to felony prosecution. No one before O’Hara had ever been prosecuted under this statute. The last case to be successfully brought for false registration and illegal voting took place in 1873, in Rochester, New York. The defendant in that case was Susan B. Anthony.

Because of the dangerous precedent created by the O’Hara prosecution, anybody with two or more homes can face prison time if they vote. Students living out of dormitories can go to jail for voting. Homeless people living in shelters can be prosecuted if they vote, along with people who have recently lost their homes through foreclosure.

This petition asks the governor of New York State, David Paterson, to correct this injustice with a pardon for John O’Hara, who is today a convicted felon and a disbarred lawyer. This is not a liberal or conservative issue, it’s about justice. That’s why you’ll find my name on this petition.

Statement by actor Holt McCallany


I’ve known John O’Hara my entire life. We grew up together and our mothers have been best friends for fifty years. Some of my fondest memories are of summers I spent as a boy helping him with his political campaigns. John was like the older brother I always wanted. He was a savvy, streetwise kid with a generous spirit who loved Brooklyn and was destined to be a leader in his community.

Sometimes we value our liberties by the price we pay for them, and nobody has paid a higher price for voting than John. Confined by probation for 5 years, fined $20,000, disbarred as an attorney and ordered to do 1,500 hours of community service by cleaning garbage in the very same parks we once campaigned in, John never became bitter or disillusioned, but he also never gave up.

He is the first person in Brooklyn ever tried three times on the same charge, and the case of People –v– O’Hara has became one of the most expensive criminal cases in New York’s history. John’s only real crime was refusing to bow to the crown of the corrupt party machine. An act for which he should be honored, not condemned.

Governor Paterson has shown he is willing to break with tradition by not waiting until Christmas, when pardons are usually granted. My sincere hope is that he will act now to erase this horrible precedent. I ask you to join me and other activists who believe in our system of justice to implore the Governor of New York to issue an executive pardon and restore the good name of my oldest and dearest friend John Kennedy O’Hara.