New ABA president, a UF grad, sees a 'justice gap'

[naaman fletcher]

A lack of funding for the judiciary and rising court fees are among problems that are limiting access to the legal system for the poor, University of Florida graduate and incoming American Bar Association President Stephen Zack said Wednesday.

Zack, who will become the association's first Hispanic president when he starts in August, said the cause of ensuring access to the legal system will be a major focus of his tenure. He said a lack of funding for public defenders, legal services and other court functions represents an attack on the judiciary by a majority that dislikes legal protections for the minority.

A Miami-based partner in the national law firm Boies, Schiller and Flexner, Zack represented former Vice President Al Gore following the 2000 presidential election.

Zack's family immigrated to Cuba from Russia in the early 1900s, then left for the U.S. when Fidel Castro rose to power. He said he keeps a copy of Cuba's pre-Castro Constitution on his desk, which he said resembles the U.S. Constitution and is a reminder that the document requires responsibilities of its citizens as well as protects rights.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100512/ARTICLES/100519759?p=2&tc=pg