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Case Files, Chisom Hardbacks. Brief in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, 1988. 9045b842-f211-ef11-9f89-0022482f7547. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/68ca5a0f-2dfa-4654-bf0b-95b57e545b71/brief-in-support-of-plaintiffs-motion-for-a-preliminary-injunction. Accessed April 06, 2025.
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• IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA RONALD CHISOM, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, V . EDWIN EDWARDS, et al., Defendants-Appellees. Civil Action No. 86-5075 Section A BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION WILLIAM P. QUIGLEY 901 Convention Center Blvd. Fulton Place Suite 901 New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 524-0016 ROY RODNEY, JR. 643 Magazine Street New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 586-1200 JULIUS L. CHAMBERS CHARLES STEPHEN RALSTON C. LANI GUINIER JUDITH REED PAMELA S. KARLAN 99 Hudson Street, 16th Floor New York, New York 10013 (212) 219-1900 RON WILSON Richards Building, Suite 310 837 Gravier Street New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 525-4361 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Table of Authorities ii Introduction 1 The Procedural History of this Case 1 Argument 4 - I. Plaintiffs Are Entitled to a Preliminary Injunction. 4 A. Plaintiffs Are Likely to Succeed on the Merits .5 1. The Appropriate Legal Standard 5 2. The Evidence in this Case 7 a. The Lack of Minority Electoral Success. . 7 b. Racially Polarized Voting 8 c. Evidence Concerning Other Senate Factors 11 d. The Three-Pronged Gingles Test 14 B. Plaintiffs Face a Substantial Threat of Irreparable Injury 15 C. The State Will Suffer No Injury If the Upcoming Election Is Postponed 19 D. The Public Interest Would Best Be Served By Enjoining the Upcoming Election 20 II. The Possibility of a Petition for Certiorari Should Not Deter This Court from Imposing a Preliminary Injunction 22 Conclusion 24 Certificate of Service 25 Appendix 27 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Pages Bullock v. Carter, 405 U.S. 134 (1972) 18 Canal Authority v. Callaway, 489 F.2d 567 (5th Cir. 1974) 4 Chisom V. Edwards, F.2d (5th Cir. May 27, 1988) 3 Chisom V. Edwards, 831 F.2d 1056 (5th Cir. 1988) . 2, 5, 7, 15, 20, 22 Citizens for a Better Gretna V. City of Gretna, 636 F. Supp. 1113 (E.D. La. 1986), aff'd, 834 F.2d 496 (5th Cir. 1987) . . . . ....... 8, 9, 12 City of Richmond v. United States, 422 U.S. 358 (1975) . 19, 22, 23 City of Rome v. United States, 446 U.S. 156 (1980) 14 Cook v. Luckett, 575 F. Supp. 479 (S.D. Miss. 1983) . 16, 20 Cosner V. Dalton, 522 F. Supp. 350 (E.D. Va. 1981) (three-judge court) 20 Deerfield Medical Center v. City of Deerfield Beach, 661 F.2d 328 (5th Cir. 1981) 15 Elrod V. Burns, 427 U.S. 347 (1976) 16 Haith V. Martin, 477 U.S. , 91 L.Ed.2d 559 (1986) 22 Hamer V. Campbell, 358 F.2d 215 (5th Cir. 1966) 3, 21 Harris v. Graddick, 593 F. Supp. 128 (M.D. Ala. 1984) 16 Hendrix V. McKinney, 460 F. Supp. 626 (M.D. Ala. 1978) 8 Herron V. Koch, 523 F. Supp. 167 (E.D.N.Y. 1981) (three-judge court) 22 Johnson v. Halifax County, 594 F. Supp. 161 (E.D.N.C. 1984) 4, 17 11. Kirksey V. Allain, 635 F. Supp. 347 (S.D. Miss. 1986) (three-judge court) 19 Kirksey v. Allain, Civ. Act. No. J85-0960(B) (S.D. Miss. May 28, 1986) 4, 6, 17-19 Louisiana v. United States, 380 U.S. 145 (1965) 12 Major v. Treen, 574 F. Supp. 325 (E.D. La. 1983) (three-judge court) 7, 9, 12, 14, 21 Mallory v. Eyrich, 839 F.2d 275 (6th Cir. 1988) 22 Martin v. Allain, 658 F. Supp. 1183 (S.D. Miss. 1987) 19 McMillan v. Escambia County, 748 F.2d 1037 (11th Cir. 1984) 8 Middleton-Keirn v. Stone, 655 F.2d 609 (5th Cir. 1981) . 16 Mississippi State Chapter, Operation PUSH V. Allain, 674 F. Supp. 1245 (N.D. Miss. 1987) 13 Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964) 16 Smith v. Paris, 386 F.2d 979-(5th Cir. 1967) (per curiam) 20, 21 South Carolina v. United States, 585 F. Supp. 418 (D.D.C.) (three-judge court), appeal dism'd, 469 U.S. 875 (1984) 18 Taylor v. Haywood County, Tennessee, 544 F. Supp. 1122 (W.D. Tenn. 1982) 4, 17 Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U.S. , 92 L.Ed.2d 25 (1986) 5, 6, 10, 14, 15 United Steelworkers v. Weber, 443 U.S. 193 (1979) 11 Valteau v. Edwards, 466 U.S. 909 (1984) 18 Valteau v. Edwards, Civ. Act. No. 84-1293 (E. D. La. Mar. 21, 1984) (three-judge court) • 19 Watson v. Commissioners Court of Harrison County, 616 F.2d 105, 107 (5th Cir. 1980) (per curiam) 16, 21 Yick Wo. V. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356 (1886) 16 iii Zimmer v. McKeithan, 485 F.2d 1297, 1306 (5th Cir. 1974) (en banc), aff'd on other grounds sub nom. East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall, 424 U.S. 636 (1976) (per curiam) 12, 13 Legislative History 128 Cong. Rec. S6716, 6718 (daily ed. June 14, 1982) 23 H.R. Rep. No. 97-227 (1982) 14 S. Rep. No. 97-417 (1982) 5, 6, 13, 14 Other U.S. Comm'n on Civil Rights, The Voting Rights Act: Ten Years After (1975) 14 iv IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA RONALD CHISOM, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, V. EDWIN EDWARDS, et al., Defendants-Appellees. Civil Action No. 86-5075 Section A BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE FOR A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION Introduction Plaintiffs Ronald Chisom et al., black registered voters in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, have moved for a preliminary _ injunction restraining defendants (hereafter "the State") from conducting any elections to fill positions on the Louisiana Supreme Court from the First Supreme Court Judicial District until the disposition of plaintiffs' challenge to the current use of a multimember election district. 1 The Procedural History of this Case The Louisiana Supreme Court consists of seven justices. Five are elected from single-member districts. The other two are elected from the only multimember district--the First Supreme 1 Plaintiffs have challenged the present election scheme under both section 2 of the Voting Rights Act •of 1965 as amended in 1982, 42 U.S.C. § 1973, and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution. They seek a preliminary injunction on only their section 2 results claim. Court District. The First District contains Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and Jefferson Parishes. Justices serve ten-year terms. One of the two justiceships allocated to the First Supreme Court District--the one now held by Justice Calogero--is scheduled to be filled by election in the fall of 1988; the other seat--the one now held by Justice Marcus--is to be filled by election in the fall of 1990. On September 19, 1986, two years before the first scheduled election, plaintiffs filed a complaint in this Court. It challenged the use of an election scheme that submerged Orleans Parish's predominantly black electorate in a majority-white multimember district under both the "results" prong of section 2 and the intent standard of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. In an opinion and order dated May 1, 1987, and subsequently amended on July 10, 1987, this Court granted the State's motion to dismiss plaintiffs' section 2 claims on the ground that section 2 does not cover judicial elections. On February 29, 1988, the Court of Appeals reversed unanimously, holding both that section 2 applies to judicial elections and that plaintiffs' complaint had adequately pleaded its constitutional allegations. Chisom v. Edwards, 831 F.2d 1056 (5th Cir. 1988). The State petitioned for rehearing and rehearing en banc. Plaintiffs responded by moving either for an injunction against the upcoming election or for issuance of the mandate to permit them to seek immediate preliminary injunctive relief in this Court. 2 On May 27, 1988, the Court of Appeals unanimously denied the State's petition for rehearing and suggestion for rehearing en banc. In addition', despite the State's announced intention to petition for certiorari, see Opposition to Plaintiff-Appellants' Motion for an Injunction Pending Appeal at 16, 30, and the provisions of Fed. R. App. P. 41(a) and (b) that postpone issuance of the mandate to allow parties seeking certiorari to receive a stay, the Court of Appeals ordered the immediate issuance of the mandate. The same day, the panel issued an opinion denying plaintiffs' motion for an injunction pending appeal "[i]n accordance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a), which provides that an injunction request must ordinarily be made in the district court on first instance," 2 Chisom v. Edwards, F.2d (5th Cir. May 27, 1988), slip op. at 1, and dismissing as moot plaintiffs' motion for issuance of the mandate. In that opinion, the Court stated that: In the event the plaintiffs assert their injunction request to the district court, whichever way the district court rules, this Court notes that any election held under an elections scheme which this Court later finds to be unconstitutional or in violation of the Voting Rights Act is subject to being set aside and the office declared to be vacant. See Hamer v. Campbell, 358 F.2d 215 (5th Cir. 1966). Slip op. at 1-2. 2 At the time plaintiffs sought injunctive relief from the Court of Appeals, they could not have sought such relief from this Court since this case had been closed following the entry of the Court's June 8, 1987, judgment. See Record Excerpts on Appeal at 3. Argument I. Plaintiffs Are Entitled to a Preliminary Injunction The test for whether this Court should issue a preliminary injunction focuses on four issues: (1) whether plaintiffs are likely to prevail on the merits; (2) whether there is a substantial threat of irreparable injury; (3) whether the threatened injury outweighs the threatened harm an injunction might do to the defendant; and (4) whether granting an injunction will serve the public interest. Canal Authority v. Callaway, 489 F.2d 567, 572 (5th Cir. 1974). In Kirksey V. Allain, Civ. Act. No. J85-0960(B) (S.D. Miss. May 28, 1986), 3 Judge Barbour, applying the Callaway criteria, enjoined judicial elections throughout the state of Mississippi pending the adjudication of the plaintiffs' section 2 claims; see also, e.g., Johnson V. Halifax County, 594 F. Supp. 161 (E.D.N.C. 1984) (granting preliminary injunction stopping elections for county commission in face of section 2 challenge); Taylor v. Haywood County, Tennessee, 544 F. Supp. 1122 (W.D. Tenn. 1982) (granting preliminary injunction stopping elections for county road commission in face of section 2 and constitutional challenges). 3 A copy of the district court's unpublished order in Kirksey is attached to this Brief as Appendix A. 4 A. Plaintiffs Are Likely To Succeed on the Merits 1. The Appropriate Legal Standard In its unanimous opinion judicial elections, the Court its express terms, extends to 839 F.2d at 1060. One of the of Appeals relied in reaching holding that'section 2 applies to of Appeals held that "section 2, by state judicial elections." Chisom, primary sources this conclusion history of the 1982 amendments to section 2. The purpose of those 1982 amendments was on which the Court was the legislative See id. at 1061-63. to eliminate the requirement that plaintiffs show that challenged voting practices are the product of purposeful discrimination. Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U.S. , 92 L.Ed.2d 25, 37, 42 (1986). The Senate Report accompanying the 1982 amendments, which Gingles characterized as an "authoritative source" for interpreting section 2, Gingles, 92 L.Ed.2d at 42 n. 7, listed nine "[t]ypical factors" that can serve to show 'a violation of section 2's "results test." S. Rep. No. 97-417, p. 28 (1982) ["Senate Report"]. 4 4 These factors are: "1. the extent of any history of official discrimination in the state or political subdivision that touched the right of the members of the minority group to register, to vote, or otherwise to participate in the democratic process; 2. the extent to which voting in the elections of the state or political subdivision is racially polarized; 3. the extent to which the state or political subdivision has used unusually large election districts, majority vote requirements, anti-single shot provisions, or other voting practices or procedures 5 In cases challenging the use of at-large elections, "the most important Senate Report factors . . are the 'extent to which members of the minority group have been elected to public office in the jurisdiction' and the 'extent to which voting in the elections of the state or political subdivision is racially polarized." Gingles, 92 L.Ed.2d at 45, n. 15. The other factors are "supportive of, but not essential to, a minority voter's claim." Id. In Kirksey v. Allain, the district court found that plaintiffs had shown a likelihood of success on the merits because that may enhance the opportunity for discriMination against the minority; 4. if there is a candidate slating_process, whether the members of the minority group have been denied access to that process; 5. the extent to which members of the minority group in the state or political subdivision bear the effects of discrimination in such areas as education, employment and health, which hinder their ability to participate effectively in the political process; 6. whether political campaigns have been characterized by overt or subtle racial appeals; 7. the extent to which members of the minority group have been elected to public office in the jurisdiction. [8.] whether there is a significant lack of responsiveness on the part of elected officials to the particularized needs of the members of the minority group. [9.] whether the policy underlying the state or political subdivision's use of such voting qualification, prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice or procedure is tenuous." S. Rep. No. 97-417, pp. 28-29 (1982). "[T]here is no requirement that any particular number of factors be proved, or that a majority of them point one way or the other." Id. at 29. 6 they will probably prove a history of past racial discrimination in Mississippi . . . ; racially polarized voting in Mississippi elections; socio- economic disparities between black and white citizens of Mississippi, with blacks being less affluent and less well educated; a lack of prior electoral success by black judicial candidates in contested elections; and that at the trial on the merits the key issue will be the continued use of multi-member districts. Slip op. at 2-3. In this case, the evidence concerning those same relevant factors is undisputed. Indeed, much of the evidence is reflected in the opinion of the 'three-judge district court in Major v. Treen, 574 F. Supp. 325 (E.D. La. 1983). At the hearing before Judge Collins on November 6, 1986, concerning attorneys' fees in Major v. Treen, the State disputed plaintiffs' requested award on the grounds that the Major plaintiffs should have sought summary judgment rather than going to trial because the evidence in their favor was so overwhelming. If that is so, then preliminary relief is surely appropriate in this case, where the Court has the advantage of being able to rely upon Major v. Treen's findings, made after a trial on the merits involving essentially the same parties. 2. The Evidence in this Case a. The Lack of Minority Electoral Success With regard to the first of the factors identified as critical in Gingles, the evidence is undisputed and, as the Court of Appeals observed, "particularly significant," Chisom, 839 F.2d at 1058: "[N]o black person has ever been elected to the 7 Louisiana Supreme Court, either from the First Supreme Court District or from any one of the other_five judicial districts." Id. Indeed, no black candidate has run. The affidavits of Judges Ortique and Augustine attached to Plaintiffs' Motion for a Preliminary Injunction explain why: the current configuration of the First Supreme Court District denies black voters an opportunity , to elect the candidate of their choice and thus deters black candidates from running. In cases such as this one, "the lack of black candidates is a likely result of a racially discriminatory system." McMillan v. Escambia County, 748 F.2d 1037, 1045 (11th Cir. 1984). See, e.g., Citizens for a Better Gretna V. City of Gretna, 636 F. Supp. 1113, 1119 (E.D. La. 1986) ("axiomatic" that when minorities are faced with dilutive electoral structures "candidacy rates tend to drop'") (quoting Minority Vote Dilution 15 (C. Davidson ed. 1984)), aff'd, 834 F.2d 496 (5th Cir. 1987); Hendrix V. McKinney, 460 F. Supp. 626, 631-32 (M.D. Ala. 1978), (fact of racial bloc voting, when combined with at-large elections for county commission "undoubtedly discourages black candidates because they face the certain prospect of defeat"). b. Racially Polarized Voting With regard to the second factor--the presence of racially polarized voting--the evidence is also clear. Elections in the parishes that constitute the current First Supreme Court District, particularly judicial elections, are characterized by 8 racial bloc voting. Major v. Treen struck down a congressional districting scheme which diluted the strength of Orleans Parish's predominantly black electorate by splitting that electorate in half and submerging the two parts in majority-white suburban congressional districts. The combined area of the two congressional districts involved in Major v. Treen constituted essentially the First Supreme Court District being challenged in this case. See 574 F. Supp. at 328. The Court there found "a substantial degree of racial polarization exhibited in the voting patterns of Orleans Parish." Id. at 337. It also held that voting preferences in the "adjacent suburban parishes, whose recently enhanced populations can be partially ascribed to the exodus from New Orleans of white families seeking to avoid court- ordered desegregation of the city's public schools" made those parishes even less receptive to black candidates. Id. at 339; see also, e.g., Citizens for a Better Gretna, 636 F. Supp. at 1124-30 (finding racially polarized voting in Jefferson Parish municipality). Major v. Treen's finding of legally significant racial polarization rested in significant part on the existence of racial bloc voting in local judicial elections. The court expressly relied on a regression analysis performed by plaintiffs' expert, Dr. Gordon Henderson, which studied the results of thirty-nine elections in Orleans Parish during the period 1976 to 1982 in which black candidates ran. See 574 F. 9 Supp. at 337-38. Thirteen, or one-third, of these elections involved judicial positions. Racial bloc voting in judicial elections for positions on lower courts within the First Supreme Court District continues to this day. Dr. Richard L. Engstrom, a nationally recognized expert in the quantitative analysis of racial voting patterns, see Gingles, 92 L.Ed.2d at 48 n. 20, 50 & 60 (citing Dr. Engstrom's scholarly writings with approval), analyzed judicial election contests involving black and white candidates during the period 1978 to 1987 on behalf of the plaintiffs in Clark v. Edwards, No. 86-435-A (M.D. La.), a case challenging the method of electing Louisiana district court judges. Dr. Engstrom used the analytic techniques--bivariate ecological regression and extreme case analysis--approved by the Supreme Court in Gingles, 92 L.Ed.2d at 48. As part of his analysis, Dr. Engstrom analyzed election returns from the geographic area relevant to this case involving thirty-one black candidates in twenty-seven separate contests. In twenty-five of twenty-seven races, a black candidate was the preferred choice of black voters. 5 In no election was a black candidate the choice of white voters. In the twenty-five contests in which the black community supported a black candidate, an average of 77.06 percent of the black 5 In twenty-three elections, a black candidate received an outright majority of the votes cast by black voters. In the other two--the Feb. 6, 1982, Orleans-Criminal I election and the Sept. 29, 1984, Orleans Juvenile Court C, election--a black candidate was the plurality choice. 10 electorate voted for the preferred black candidate, 6 while only 13.76 percent of white voters voted for the preferred black candidate. c. Evidence Concerning Other Senate Factors This Court may take judicial notice of findings by other courts and census data with regard to several of the other, historical and socio-economic factors mentioned in the Senate Report. Fed. R. Evid. 201; see United Steelworkers v. Weber, 443 U.S. 193, 198 n. 1 (1979) (findings of discrimination in craft unions were so numerous as to be a proper subject for judicial notice). 1. A history of official discrimination touching upon the right to vote. --Louisiana's pervasive efforts to prevent blacks from participating in the political process cannot seriously be disputed. As Judge Politz, writing for the three-judge court in Major v. Treen noted, from 1898 to 1965, the State used a variety 6 Four of these races involved more than one black candidate. In the first (the Feb. 2, 1982 election for Orleans- Criminal I), Julien was the plurality victor among black voters, and 72.3 percent of black voters preferred one of the black candidates. Julien subsequently received over 88 percent of the black vote in the runoff. In the second (the Feb. 1, 1986 election for Orleans-Civil F), Magee was the choice of 75.3 percent of black voters, and 97.1 percent of black voters preferred one of the black candidates. In the third (the Sept. 16, 1978, race for Orleans Parish Juvenile Court B), Douglas was the choice of 57.1 percent of black voters, and 80.9 percent of black voters preferred one of the black candidates. In the fourth (the Sept. 24, 1984, election for Orleans Parish Juvenile Court A), Gray received 68.9 percent of the black vote, and 88.6 percent of black voters preferred one of the black candidates. Gray subsequently received 95.7 percent of the black vote in the runoff. 11 of stratagems, including educational and property requirements for voting, a "grandfather" clause, an "understanding" clause, poll taxes, discriminatory purging procedures, an all-white primary, a ban on single-shot voting, and a majority-vote requirement to "suppres[s] black political involvement . • • .11 574 F. Supp. at 340; see also, e.g., Louisiana V. United States, 380 U.S. 145 (1965) (discussing Louisiana's long history of racial discrimination in voting); Zimmer v. McKeithan, 485 F.2d 1297, 1306 (5th dr. 1974) (en banc), aff'd on other grounds sub nom. East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall, 424 U.S. 636 (1976) (per curiam); Citizens for a Better Gretna, 636 F. Supp. at 1116-17. 2. Socio-economic disparities--Both Major v. Treen and Citizens for a Better Gretna recognized that the black citizens of Orleans and Jefferson Parishes suffer from the effects of discrimination in such areas as education and employment and that their depressed socio-economic status hinders their ability to participate effectively in the political process. See Citizens for a Better Gretna, 636 F. Supp. at 1117; Major V. Treen, 574 F. Supp. at 341. Census figures for 1980 (the last year for which racial breakdowns were compiled) show that while over 70 percent of the •white adults (age 25 and over) in New Orleans are high school graduates, less than half of the black adults are. Moreover, the percentage of black adult residents who have completed fewer than eight years of schooling (21.78) is nearly twice the percentage 12 of white residents with a similarly limited education. According to the 1980 Census, black per capita income in Orleans Parish was only 40 percent of white per capita income. The percentage of black families living below poverty level (33.4) was roughly four-and-one half times the percentage of white families living below poverty level. And over twice the percentage of black-occupied housing units as white-occupied housing units lacked telephones and motor vehicles--two critical resources for political mobilization, see, e.g., Mississippi State Chapter, Operation PUSH v. Allain, 674 F. Supp. 1245, 1256 (N.D. Miss. 1987). 3. The presence of voting practices that enhance the opportunity for racial discrimination. --All three practices expressly identified by Congress as tending to exacerbate the discriminatory impact of at-large elections, see Senate Report at 29, are present in this case. First, the First Supreme Court District is an "unusually large election distric[t]," Id. It is far larger in population than any other Louisiana Supreme Court District. Moreover, it is the only multimember district, and thus departs from the standard Supreme Court District, which elects a single justice. Second, Louisiana has a majority-vote requirement for judicial elections. See Zimmer, supra (discussing majority vote requirement); Senate Report at 29. This means that even if the majority white electorate were to split its votes among several candidates, a black candidate would not have the opportunity to win by a plurality. According to 13 Major v. Treen, this requirement "inhibits political participation by black candidates and voters" and "substantially diminishes the opportunity for black voters to elect the candidate of their choice." 574 F. Supp. at 339. Third, elections from the First Supreme Court District are subject to the functional equivalent of an "anti-single shot" provision, Senate Report at 29. Single-shot voting requires multi-position races. See City of Rome v. United States, 446 U.S. 156, 184 (1980). But because the terms of the two justices from the First Supreme Court District are staggered, only one seat is filled at any election. Thus "the opportunity for single-shot voting will never arise." Id. at 185 n. 21 (internal quotation marks omitted; quoting U.S. Comm'n on Civil Rights, The Voting Rights Act: Ten Years After 208 (1975)); see also, e.g., H.R. Rep. No. 97-227, p. 18 (1982) (condemning staggered'terms). d. The Three-Pronged Gingles Test In Gingles, the Supreme Court used a three-pronged test for assessing whether the choice of multimember, rather than single- member, districts "impede[s] the ability of minority voters to elect representatives of their choice." Gingles, 92 L.Ed.2d at 45: First, the minority group must be able to demonstrate that it is sufficiently large and geographically compact to constitute a majority in a single-member district. . . . Second, the minority group must be able to show it is politically cohesive. . . . Third, the minority must be able to demonstrate that the white majority votes sufficiently as a bloc to enable it 14 . . . usually to defeat the minority's preferred candidate. Id. at 46, 47. The second two prongs of this test ask, in essence, whether voting is racially polarized. See Gingles, 92 L.Ed.2d at 50. For the reasons discussed above, plaintiffs satisfy these two prongs. With regard to the first prong, the evidence is also undisputed. Over half the First Supreme Court District's population lives in Orleans Parish, and, as of March 31, 1988, slightly over 52 percent of the registered voters in Orleans Parish were black. See Affidavit of Silas Lee, III. Judicial districts are not required to comply with the requirement of one- person, one-vote. See Chisom, 839 F.2d at 1060. Thus, there is no -need--particularly in assessing whether plaintiffs have shown a sufficient likelihood of success on the merits, as opposed to actually imposing a remedial plan after a final determination of section 2 liability--for this Court to address the precise contours of a proper division of the present First Supreme Court District. B. Plaintiffs Face a Substantial Threat of Irreparable Injury The Court of Appeals has held that an injury is irreparable "if it cannot be undone through monetary remedies." Deerfield Medical Center v. City of Deerfield Beach, 661 F.2d 328, 338 (5th Cir. 1981). The right at issue in this case is entirely 15 nonpecuniary, and no amount of financial compensation can redress its deprivation. The right to vote is the "fundamental political right, because preservative of all rights." Yick Wo. V. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 370 (1886). That right "can be denied by a debasement or dilution of the weight of a citizen's vote just as effectively as by wholly prohibiting the free exercise of the franchise." Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 555 (1964). The courts have long recognized that conducting elections under systems that impermissibly dilute the voting strength of an identifiable group works an irreparable injury on both that group and the entire fabric of representative government. See, e.g., Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. at 585; Watson v. Commissioners Court of Harrison County, 616 F.2d 105, 107 (5th Cir. 1980) (per curiam) (ordering district court to enjoin elections because failure to do so would subject county residents to four more years of government by an improperly elected body); Harris v. Graddick, 593 F. Supp. 128 (M.D. Ala. 1984) (impediment to right to vote "would by its nature be an irreparable injury"); Cook v. Luckett, 575 F. Suppe 479, 484 (S.D. Miss. 1983) (noting the "irreparable injury inherent in perpetuating voter dilution"); cf. Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347, 373 (1976) (denial of rights under the First Amendment "unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury"); Middleton-Keirn V. Stone, 655 F.2d 609, 611 (5th Cir. 1981) (irreparable injury to both black workers and Nation's labor force as a whole is presumed in Title VII cases). And, 16 contrary to the State's suggestion in the Court of Appeals, district courts have found a sufficient threat of irreparable injury in cases in which a final determination of invalidity has not yet been made. See, e.g., Kirksey v. Allain, slip op. at 3; Johnson, 594 F. Supp. at 171; Taylor, 544 F. Supp. at 1134. There is a substantial threat in this case of such a dilution of black voting strength in the October 1, 1988, election. First, the voting strength of Orleans Parish's predominantly black electorate will be subsumed within the larger, majority-white suburban electorate. See supra. Second, as the affidavits of Judges Augustine and Ortique show, the present election scheme will deter candidates who rely primarily on the support of black voters from running. And those candidates will be unable to obtain the financial backing necessary for a credible candidacy as long as the present district configuration continues. Thus, black voters will not even have an equal opportunity to vote for candidates of their choice, let alone the equal opportunity to elect such candidates promised by section 2. If the Court does not grant preliminary injunctive relief, the merits will not be determined in time for the October 1, 1988, election, let alone far enough before the election for potential candidates who enjoy the support of the black community to meet filing requirements, raise sufficient funds, and run serious campaigns. Forcing candidates to expend considerable time, energy, and resources campaigning in a district whose configuration violates 17 the Voting Rights Act both injures the candidates, see, e.g., South Carolina v. United States, 585 F. Supp. 418, 423 (D.D.C.) (three-judge court), appeal dism'd, 469 U.S. 875 (1984), and deprives the voters who support those candidates of their fundamental constitutional right to a racially fair electoral process. As the Supreme Court recognized in Bullock v. Carter, 405 U.S. 134, 143-44 (1972), the impact of placing heavy financial burdens on candidates is closely "related to the resources of the voters supporting a particular candidate," and such burdens may therefore deny economically disadvantaged voters the ability to support and elect the candidates of their choice. In this case, allowing the elections to go forward will have one of two results: (1) black candidates will once again be deterred from running by both the cost of campaigning throughout the First Supreme Court District and the virtual impossibility of winning in the overwhelmingly white district,and black voters will once again be deprived of the ability even to vote for a candidate of their choice; or (2) if black candidates run, the resources available from the black community to contest a special election will be diminished by the expenditure of effort in an essentially meaningless contest in 1988. See Kirksey v. Allain, slip op. at 3 (finding irreparable injury to plaintiff-intervenors--incumbent judges--"should elections go forward, campaign expenses be incurred, and such elections be nullified by subsequent order of this court"). Indeed, in Valteau V. Edwards, 466 U.S. 909 (1984) (denying application for stay), the State of Louisiana argued, in 18 seeking a stay of an order compelling it to hold a presidential preferential primary, that it would "suffer irreparable harm" if it were forced to expend approximately $2 million to conduct elections whose results were later overturned. Application for Stay at 5. 7 C. The State Will Suffer No Iniury If the Upcoming Election Is Postponed The State will not be adversely affected in any way if the 1988 election is postponed until the merits of plaintiffs' claims are determined. Such a postponement would continue the terms of the two sitting justices from the First Supreme Court District. Cf. City of Richmond v. United States, 422 U.S. 358, 365 (1975) (city council elected in 1970 remained in office until 1975 during pendency of Voting Rights Act challenge to annexations); Kirksey v. Allain, supra; 8 Kirksey V. Allain, 635 F. Supp. 347 7 Valteau involved a challenge, under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, to Louisiana's attempt to suspend the operation of its presidential primary in 1984 and to have political parties select delegates to their national conventions through• caucuses instead. The district court entered an injunction requiring the State to conduct a primary. Valteau v. Edwards, Civ. Act. No. 84-1293 (E.D. La. Mar. 21, 1984) (three- judge court). The State sought a stay of the district court's order from the Supreme Court, arguing that it was possible that the Department of Justice would preclear the switch to caucuses thus rendering the results of the primary nugatory. 8 Subsequently, in Martin v. Allain, 658 F. Supp. 1183 (S.D. Miss. 1987) (Kirksey was consolidated with Martin, a case challenging judicial elections in districts containing Hinds County), the district court found that Mississippi's use of multi-member, numbered post judicial districts in certain parts of the state violated section 2. At the present time, remedy proceedings are underway, and judicial elections in the affected districts have been postponed for the past two years. 19 (S.D. Miss. 1986) (three-judge court) (enjoining judicial elections for unprecleared jurisdictions). Thus, the Louisiana Supreme Court will be able to continue its work unaffected. The only potential injury defendants might suffer is the expense of conducting a special election, should the district court ultimately conclude that such an election is required. See Cook, 575 F. Supp. at 485. It is entirely possible, however, that any future election*to fill seats on the Supreme Court can be coordinated with regularly scheduled elections, and such expense avoided entirely. See, e.g., Smith V. Paris, 386 F.2d 979 (5th Cir. 1967) (per curiam) (shortening terms of officials elected under discriminatory at-large scheme so that new elections would coincide with next regularly scheduled elections); Cosner v. Dalton, 522 F. Supp. 350, 364 (E.D. Va. 1981) (three-judge court) (shortening terms of state legislators elected under invalid apportionment scheme). Moreover, that injury is entirely counterbalanced by the danger of additional expense in conducting a special election should the current election proceed and plaintiffs then establish liability. D. The Public Interest Would Best Be Served By Enjoining the Upcoming Election The public interest in a racially fair election scheme is absolutely fundamental. "The right to vote, the right to an effective voice in our society cannot be impaired on the basis of race in any instance wherein the will of the majority is expressed by popular vote." Chisom, 831 F.2d at 1065. 20 Because plaintiffs sought relief over two years before the scheduled election, if this Court denies an injunction pending appeal and plaintiffs ultimately prevail on the merits, the results of the upcoming election will have to be set aside as the Court of Appeals recognized in its per curiam opinion of May 27, 1988. Slip op. at 1, citing Hamer v. Campbell, suDra. A justice elected in 1988 pursuant to an election system that dilutes black political power cannot be permitted to serve for 10 years, until 1998 when the term would normally expire. See, e.g., Watson, 616 F.2d at 107 (service for another four years too long); Smith v. Paris, 386 F.2d at 980 (ordering special election at next regularly scheduled election, in two years); Hamer v. Campbell, 358 F.2d at 222 (service for another four years too long). And the public interest in having a judiciary free from racial discrimination in its selection is obviously of the highest importance, as the Court of Appeals decision in Chisom recognized. In light of plaintiffs' likely success on the merits, the public interest would best be served in not conducting an election in 1988. First, such an election would likely have to be repeated in two years. This possibility might dampen interest both in seeking office and in voting and might decrease financial support for candidates. Second, given the probable illegitimacy of the present system, it would be unfair for a candidate to run under the present scheme and thereby have an unfair advantage as an incumbent only two years later. Cf. Major v. Treen, 574 F. 21 Supp. at 355. Third, the qualities of deliberation and non- politicization that the decade-long term of office now serves might be undermined by creating, in essence, a two-year term. II. The Possibility of a Petition for Certiorari Should Not Deter This Court from Imposing a Preliminary Injunction This Court should not decline to order preliminary injunctive relief on the ground that the State is likely to seek certiorari on the question whether section 2 applies to judicial elections. See Opposition to Plaintiff-Appellants' Motion for an Injunction Pending Appeal at 16, 30 (announcing intention to petition for certiorari). Plaintiffs believe that a grant of certiorari in this case is unlikely. Both Courts of Appeals to have addressed the question have concluded that judicial elections are covered by section 2. See Chisom; Mallory v. Eyrich, 839 F.2d 275 (6th Cir. 1988). Those decisions are entirely consonant with the Supreme Court's decision in Haith v. Martin, 477 U.S. , 91 L.Ed.2d 559 (1986), that section 5 of the Voting Rights Act applies to judicial elections. 9 Thus, there is neither a conflict among the circuits, nor a conflict with any Supreme Court precedent. Nonetheless, the timing of the State's petition will result in a substantial lapse of time before the Supreme Court disposes of the petition. The State's petition is unlikely to be filed 9 And in fact, under section 5 courts have consistently enjoined elections pending disposition of plaintiffs' challenges. See, e.g., City of Richmond v. United States, supra; Herron v. Koch, 523 F. Supp. 167 (E.D.N.Y. 1981) (three-judge court). 22 until at least the end of June. Given the manner in which the Supreme Court schedules petitions for consideration at Conference, it is unlikely, even if plaintiffs were to waive their right to respond or to file an opposition long before their 30 days to reply had run, that the case could be considered before the Supreme Court recesses for the summer at the end of June. Thus, the petition for certiorari will not be disposed of before the first Monday in October, after the scheduled election. In any event, the fact that a petition for certiorari is pending, or even has been granted, does not affect the need to preserve the status quo pending resolution of the question whether conducting the upcoming election using the current First Supreme Court District violates section 2. Cf. City of Richmond, 422 U.S. at 365 (keeping city council in office for five years pending decision on legality of new election scheme). The Court of Appeals' decision to issue the mandate immediately, thus preventing the State from obtaining an automatic stay of the mandate until the Supreme Court rules, strongly suggests that it did not intend for this Court to let the pendency, intended or actual, of a petition for certiorari deter it from addressing the merits of plaintiffs' request for injunctive relief. No public interest could be more important than the eradication of racial discrimination that impairs the right to 23 vote. 1° Thus, plaintiffs have satisfied all four prongs of the test for a preliminary injunction and this Court should therefore order the postponement of the upcoming elections. Conclusion Two years ago, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit challenging the method of electing justices from the First Supreme Court District in the hope that by 1988 a fair election system would be in place. They now face the threat that once again their voices will not be heard equally in the election process. Accordingly, they ask this Court to provide them with preliminary relief. WILLIAM P. QUIGLEY 901 Convention Center Blvd. Fulton Place Suite 901 New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 524-0016 ROY RODNEY, JR. 643 Magazine Street New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 586-1200 Dated: June 14, 1988 tfully submitted, JULIUS L. CHAMBERS CHARLES STEPHEN RALSTON C. LANI GUINIER JUDITH REED PAMELA S. KARLAN 99 Hudson Street, 16th Floor New York, New York 10013 (212) 219-1900 RON WILSON Richards Building, Suite 310 837 Gravier Street New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 525-4361 Counsel for Plaintiffs 10 See 128 Cong. Rec. S6716, 6718 (daily ed. June 14, 1982) (remarks of Sen. Moynihan) (Voting Right Act is intended "to reaffirm this Nation's commitment to that most basic and fundamental guarantee . . . which is the right of every citizen to exercise his or her right to vote for those who would represent them in 'Government"). 24 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on June 14, 1988, I served copies of the foregoing brief upon the attorneys listed below via United States mail, first class, postage prepaid: William J. Guste, Jr., Esq. Atty. General La. Dept. of Justice 234 Loyola Ave., Suite 700 New Orleans, LA 70112-2096 M. Truman Woodward, Jr., Esq. 1100 Whitney Building New Orleans, LA 70130 Blake G. Arata, Esq. 210 St. Charles Avenue Suite 4000 New Orleans, LA 70170 A. R. Christovich, Esq. 1900 American Bank Building New Orleans, LA 70130 Moise W. Dennery, Esq. 21st Floor Pan American Life Center 601 Poydras Street New Orleans, LA 70130 Robert G. Pugh 330 Marshall Street, Suite 1200 Shreveport, LA 71101 Robert Berman Civil Rights Division Department of Justice P.O. Box 66128 Washington, D.C. 20035 Michael H. Rubin, Esq. Rubin, Curry, Colvin & Joseph Suite 1400 One American Place Baton Rouge, LA 70825 25 • Peter Butler Butler, Heebe & Hirsch 712 American Bank Building New Orleans, LA 70130 Charles A. Kronlage, Jr. 717 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70130 26 Counsel for Plaintiffs APPENDIX 27 SOUMERN DisTRICT 0/- FILED IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT OURT- FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF MIS issiWY 28 1985 JACKSON DIVISION HENRY KIRKSEY, et al., on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, NATHAN P. ADAMS, JR. AND NAT W. BULLARD, Plaintiffs-Intervenors, CLARENCE A. PIERCE. CLERK BY DEPUTY v. CIVIL ACTION NO. J85-0960(B) WILLIAM A. ALLAIN, Governor of Mississippi, et al., Defendants. ORDER This civil action came on for hearing on May 27, 1986, on the plaintiffs' Motion for A Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary and/or Permanent Injunction which the court and the parties have treated as a request for preliminary injunctive relief enjoining the defendants from conducting any elections for the offices of circuit judge in the State of Mississippi, chancery judge in the State of Mississippi, and county judge in only Harrison County, Hinds County, and Jackson County, Mississippi, pending this court's trial and decision on the merits of the plaintiffs' claims for relief under • Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended in 1982, 42 U.S.C. S 1973, 42 U.S.C. S 1983, and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and the entry of a future order of the court rescheduling such elections. Having considered the motion, the supporting and opposing briefs, the documentary evidence received into evidence at the hearing, and the four well-established prerequisites for the granting of a preliminary injunction, see, e.g., Canal Authority v. Callaway, 489 F.2d 567, 572-77 (5th Cir. 1974), the court rendered bench opinion at the conclusion of the hearing in which it stated its findings - f fact and conclusions- of law required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(a). For the reasons stated in that bench opinion, the court hereby rules that plaintiffs have satisfied the conditions for a preliminary injunction: 1. Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits. In light of the exhibits presented to this court, plaintiffs have shown that they will probably prove a history of past racial discrimination in Mississippi which has an effect upon the ability of black citizens of Mississippi to elect judicial candidates of their choice; racially polarized voting in Mississippi elections; socio-economic disparities between black and white citizens of Mississippi, with blacks being less affluent and less well educated; a lack of prior electoral success by black judicial candidates in contested elections; and that at the trial on the merits the key issue will be the continued use of multi-member districts. Plaintiffs have therefore shown some probability of success on the merits. 2. Irreparable injury will ensue to the black plaintiff class should elections go forward and the present electoral system ultimately be found in violation of the rights protected by the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Additionally, irreparable injury will befall plaintiff-intervenors, the incumbent Chancery Court judges for the Ninth District, should elections go forward, campaign expenses be incurred, and such elections be nullified by subsequent order of this court. 3. The relative harm to plaintiffs from the denial of an injunction will exceed the harm to defendants from the granting of such an injunction. Defendants have pointed to the risk of lower vote turnout should the elections not be held as scheduled as the only identifiable potential harm to the state defendants. 4. The public interest will best be served by the granting of an injunction. In light of the order of April 3, 1986, by a three-judge' court in this matter enjoining •-• *1, some of the judicial elections under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. S 1973c, the risk of confusion to the voters of divergent election dates for the challenged judgeships, the need to hold new elections should plaintiffs prevail, and the possible preclusion of special appointments of incumbent judges who were defeated it the polls, this court finds that the best interests of all concerned are met by entering the following injunction. Therefore, the court finds and concludes that the plaintiffs' motion is meritorious and should be granted. IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED AND ADJUDGED: 1. That, pending a final decision by this court in this action and the entry of a future order of this court scheduling elections for the affected judicial offices, defendants William A. Allain, in his official capacity as Governor of Mississippi and as a member of the State Board of Election Commissioners; Edwin L. Pittman, in his official capacity as the Attorney General of Mississippi and as a member of the State Board of Election Commissioners; Dick Molpus, in his official capacity as Secretary of State of Mississippi and as a member of the State Board of Election Commissioners; the Mississippi State Board of Election Commissioners; the Democratic \. Party of the State of Mississippi State Executive Committee; and the State of Mississippi Republican Party State Executive Committee, and their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys (the defendants) are hereby ENJOINED AND PROHIBITED from conducting any primary election or general election in the State of Mississippi for all circuit judge offices in the State of Mississippi, all chancery judge offices in the State of Mississippi, and the county court judge offices in Harrison, Hinds, and Jackson Counties; 2. That, given the nearness of the June 3, 1986, primary and the fact that ballots have been prepared for the primary election which include the offices subject to this injunction, the court hereby directs how the defendants and all other election officials may comply with the injunction contained in Paragraph 1 above: A. That, in the event that any ballots have not been finalized, the defendants and all other election officials are directed to delete from any such ballot the offices subject to the injunction contained in Paragraph 1 above; B. That, in the event that ballots have been prepared which include the offices subject to the injunction contained in Paragraph 1, the defendants and all other election . officials need not prepare new ballots. However, the defendants and all other election officials are hereby directed not to tabulate, total, tally, recap, publish, disclose, reveal, or otherwise disseminate any votes or the number of votes which may be cast for the offices which are subject to this injunction; C. That, in those counties utilizing voting machines which can "block out" from voting by the electors these particular offices subject to this injunction, the defendants and all other election officials are directed to "block out" such offices; and D. That, in those counties utilizing voting machines which cannot mechanically "block out" selected offices on the previously prepared ballot, the defendants and all other election officials are enjoined not to publish, disclose, reveal, or otherwise disseminate any totals or tallies which may be automatically , recorded by such machines for the particular offices which are subject to this injunction; 3. That the defendant Secretary of State is hereby directed to give. prompt telephonic notification to all state and county Democratic and Republican Party Executive Committees and all circuit clerks/county registrars of the provisions of this injunction and the Secretary of State shall follow-up on such telephonic notification by mailing a written notice; and 4. That the injunction contained in applies only to all of Mississippi, all of Mississippi, and offices of circuit judge offices of chancery judge all county judge offices this order in the State in the State in Harrison, Hinds, and Jackson Counties, Mississippi. This order does not apply to any other offices which may be on the ballot on June 3, 1986, or thereafter, and it specifically does not apply to or affect the election of: Supreme Court Justices; County Judge in those counties which have court and only one county judge: Adams, Bolivar, DeSoto, Forrest, Jones, Lauderdale, Lee, Leflore, a county Coahoma, Lowndes, Madison, Pike, Rankin, Warren, Washington, and Yazoo Counties; Youth Court Judge in Clay County; or Family Court Judge in Harrison County. SO ORDERED AND ADJUDGED, on this, the May, 1986. AP ROVED AS TO Carroll Rhodes Attorney for Plaintiffs UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE Samuel Issacharq.e Attorneys for Praintiffs day of e hen J. irchma r Deputy torney General Attorney for State Defendants cpiqlgaLadaoi a' l Hubbard T. Saunders, IV Attorney for State Defendants A TRUE COPY, I HEREBY CERTIFY Clarence A. Pierce, QLERK — 7 — By: ••••=0 " BMW Mak