Motion as Amicus Curiae for Divided Argument and to Participate in Oral Argument with Certificate of Service
Public Court Documents
November 30, 1998

9 pages
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Case Files, Cromartie Hardbacks. Motion as Amicus Curiae for Divided Argument and to Participate in Oral Argument with Certificate of Service, 1998. 03b5fb73-e10e-f011-9989-002248226c06. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/0903488f-8f51-4bfe-b919-e962fbfcc9d9/motion-as-amicus-curiae-for-divided-argument-and-to-participate-in-oral-argument-with-certificate-of-service. Accessed July 31, 2025.
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER TERM, 1998 No. 98-85 JAMES B.- HUNT, Jr., ET AL., APPELLANTS iV. MARTIN CROMARTIE ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA MOTION OF THE UNITED STATES AS AMICUS CURIAE FOR DIVIDED ARGUMENT AND TO PARTICIPATE IN ORAL ARGUMENT Pursuant to Rules 28.4 and 28.7 of the Rules of this Court, the Solicitor General, on behalf of the United States, respectfully moves for leave to participate in the oral argument in this case as amicus curiae supporting appellants and that the United States be allowed ten minutes of argument time. The state appellants have agreed to cede ten minutes of argument time to the United States. Granting this motion therefore would not require the Court to enlarge the overall time for argument. 1. This case concerns the standards a federal court should apply when determining whether a state districting plan was drawn predominantly on the basis of race, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case arises 2 from a challenge to the constitutionality of a congressional redistricting plan that the State of North Carolina adopted after its previous plan was declared unconstitutional by this Court in Shaw v. Hunt, 517 U.S. 899 (1996). Granting summary judgment to appellees, the district court held that the Twelfth District in the new plan was unconstitutional under the principles of Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993). The court rejected the State's evidence that the predominant motive in the configuration of the Twelfth District was not race, but a desire to achieve a partisan balance in the State's congressional delegation. This case accordingly presents questions concerning the extent to which a correlation between a district's boundaries and racial demographics is sufficient to establish that the State's predominant motive in drawing the district was race. 2. We believe that oral presentation of the views of the United States would be of material assistance to the Court. The United States enforces Sections 2 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973, 1973c), and the United States therefore has an interest in ensuring that States have reasonable leeway to design districts that comply with both the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause. The United States has participated in prior appeals in related litigation. The United States was a party-defendant in Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993), and filed a brief as agmicug curiae in Shaw Vv. Hunt, 517 U.S. 899 (1996). Respectfully submitted. SETH P. WAXMAN Solicitor General Counsel of Record NOVEMBER 1998 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER TERM, 1998 HUNT, JAMES B. JR., ET AL. APPELLANTS VS. No. 98-0085 o t N e n e ” N e n e S e S a ” S N S e S r CROMARTIE, MARTIN CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE It is hereby certified that all parties required to be served have been served copies of the MOTION OF THE UNITED STATES AS AMICUS CURIAE FOR DIVIDED ARGUMENT AND TO PARTICIPATE IN ORAL ARGUMENT by first class mail, postage prepaid, on this 30th day of November 1998. See Attached Service List SETH P. WAXMAN Solicitor General Counsel of Record November 30, 1998 98-0085 HUNT, JAMES B. JR., (E) CROMARTIE, MARTIN ET AL. TODD A. COX NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATIONAL FUND, "INC. 1444 I ST., N.W., 10TH FLOOR WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20005 ROBINSON O. EVERETT EVERETT & EVERETT P.O. BOX 586 301 W. MAIN STREET SUITE 300 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA 27701 ELAINE R. JONES DIRECTOR COUNSEL NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. 99 HUDSON ST., STE. 1600 NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10013 LAUGHLIN MCDONALD AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 44 FORSYTH ST., STE. 202 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 MARTIN B. MCGEE WILLIAMS, BOGER, GRADY, DAVIS & TUTTLE, P.A. P.O. BOX 810 CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA 28026-0810 BURT NEUBORNE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW 161 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS FIFTH FLOOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10013 58-0085 HUNT, JAMES B. JR., (E) CROMARTIE, MARTIN ET AL. STEVEN R. SHAPIRO AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 125 BROAD ST. NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10004 PAUL M. SMITH JENNER & BLOCK 601 THIRTEENTH ST., N.W. WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20005 EDWIN M. SPEAS, JR. CHIEF DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE P.O. BOX 629 114 EDENTON STREET RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA 27603 ADAM STEIN FERGUSON, STEIN, WALLAS, ADKINS GRESHAM & SUMTER 312 WEST FRANKLIN ST. CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA 27516 MATTHEW J. ZINN STEPTOE & JOHNSON 1330. CONNECTICUT AVE., N.W. WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20036 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER TERM, 1998 HUNT, JAMES B. JR., ‘ET AL. APPELLANTS VS. No. 98-0085 N e N e ” S a S e S e S e a S a ” S e CROMARTIE, MARTIN CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE It is hereby certified that all parties required to be served have been served copies of the MOTION OF THE UNITED STATES AS AMICUS CURIAE FOR DIVIDED ARGUMENT AND TO PARTICIPATE IN ORAL ARGUMENT by first class mail, postage prepaid, on this 30th day of November 1998. See Attached Service List SETH P. WAXMAN Solicitor General Counsel of Record November 30, 1998 98-0085 HUNT, JAMES B. JR., (E) CROMARTIE, MARTIN ET AL. TODD A. COX NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. 1444 I ST., N.W., 10TH FLOOR WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20005 v Atanty O. EVERETT EVERETT & EVERETT P.O. BOX 586 301 W. MAIN STREET SUITE 300 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA 27701 ELAINE R. JONES DIRECTOR COUNSEL NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC, 92 HUDSON ST., STE. 1600 NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10013 in MCDONALD AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 44 FORSYTH ST., STE. 202 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 MARTIN B. MCGEE WILLIAMS, BOGER, GRADY, DAVIS & TUTTLE, P.A. P.O." BOX '810 CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA 28026-0810 / WY A NEUBORNE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW 161 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS FIFTH FLOOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10013 98-0085 HUNT, JAMES B. JR., (E) CROMARTIE, MARTIN ET AL. STEVEN R. SHAPIRO AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION 125 BROAD ST. NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10004 Yi os PAUL M. SMITH JENNER & BLOCK 601 THIRTEENTH ST., N.W. WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20005 o a M. SPEAS, JR. CHIEF DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE P.O. BOX 629 114 EDENTON STREET RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA 27603 ADAM STEIN FERGUSON, STEIN, WALLAS, ADKINS GRESHAM & SUMTER 312 WEST FRANKLIN ST. CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA 27516 MATTHEW J. ZINN STEPTOE & JOHNSON 1330 CONNECTICUT AVE., N.W. WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 20036