Defendant Wood's Motion for Involuntary Dismissal Against the Black Legislative Caucus

    PorRTER & CLEMENTS 
FIRST REPUBLICBANK CENTER 

700 LOUISIANA, SUITE 3500 

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77002-2730 

ATTORNEYS 
  

A PARTNERSHIP INCLUDING 

BHO ESS IONAL CORPORATIONS TELEPHONE (713) 226-0600 
TELECOPIER (713) 228-1331 

TELECOPIER (713) 224-4835 
EVELYN V. KEYES TELEX 775-348 

(713) 226-0611 

March 27, 1989 

  

Clerk, U.S. District Court 
P. O. Box 10708 

Midland, Texas 79702 

Re: No. MO088-CA-154; League of United Latin American 
Citizens (LULAC), et al. wv. James Mattox, Attorney 
General of Texas, et al.:; In the United States District 
Court for the Western District of Texas, Midland-Odessa 
Division 

Dear Mr. Polino: 

Enclosed for filing in the above-referenced case is 
Defendant Wood's Motion for Involuntary Dismissal Against the 
Black Legislative Caucus. 

Please verify filing by placing your file mark in the margin 
of the extra copy of this documents enclosed herewith and return 
to me in the envelope provided. 

By copy of this letter, a true and correct copy of this 
filing is being mailed to counsel of record in this case by first 
class United States mail, postage prepaid. 

Sincerely vours, 

Erb Yr» 
Evelyn V. Keyes 

EVK/cdf 
enclosures 

cc: William L. Garrett, Esq. 
Brenda Hall Thompson, Esq. 
Garrett, Thompson & Chang 
Attorneys at Law 

8300 Douglas, Suite 800 

Dallas, Texas 75225 

 



   
PorTER & CLEMENTS 

Clerk, U.S. District Court 
March 27,1989 

Page -2- 

CC: Rolando L. Rios, Esq. 
Southwest Voter Registration & 

Education Project 
201 N. St. Mary's, Suite 521 
San Antonio, Texas 78205 

Susan Finkelstein, Esq. 
Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc. 
201 N. St. Mary's, Suite 600 
San Antonio, Texas 78205 

Julius Levonne Chambers, Esq. 
Sherrilyn A. Ifill, Esq. 
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. 
99 Hudson Street, 16th Floor 

New York, New York 10013 

Gabrielle K. McDonald, Esq. 

Matthews & Branscomb 

301 Congress Avenue, Suite 2050 
Austin, Texas 78701 

Jim Mattox, Attorney General of Texas 
Mary F. Keller, First Assistant Attorney General 
Renea Hicks, Spec. Assistant Attorney General 
Javier Guajardo, Spec. Assistant Attorney General 
P. O. Box 12548 
Capitol Station 
Austin, Texas 78701 

Edward B. Cloutman, III, Esq. 

Mullinax, Wells, Baab & Cloutman, P.C. 
3301 Elm Street 

Dallas, Texas 75226-1637 

E. Brice Cunningham, Esq. 
Suite 121 
777 So. R.L. Thornton Freeway 
Dallas, Texas 75203 

Ken Oden, Esq. 

Travis County Attorney 
P. O. Box 1748 
Austin, Texas 78767 

 



   
PorTER & CLEMENTS 

Clerk, U.S. District Court 
March 27, 1989 

Page -3- 

cc: David R. Richards, Esq. 
Special Counsel 
600 W. 7th Street 
Austin, Texas 78701 

Mark H. Dettman 

Attorney at Law 

P.O. Box 2559 
Midland, Texas 79702 

 



  

THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS 

MIDLAND-ODESSA DIVISION 

LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN § 

CITIZENS (LULAC), et al., § 

S 
Plaintiffs, § 

S 
Vv. § NO. MO-88-CA-154 

S 
JIM MATTOX, Governor of the § 
State of Texas, et al., § 

S 
Defendants. § 

DEFENDANT WOOD'S MOTION FOR INVOLUNTARY 
DISMISSAL AGAINST THE BLACK LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS 
  

  

COMES NOW Defendant Harris County District Judge Sharolyn 

Wood ("Wood") and, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41 

moves the Court to dismiss the action of the Black Legislative 

Caucus as Plaintiff-Intervenors in this case. In support of her 

motion, Defendant Wood would show the following: 

I. 

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41 (b) provides that when a 

plaintiff fails to prosecute or to comply with the federal rules, 

a defendant may move for dismissal of his claim. Unless the 

Court specifies otherwise, such a dismissal operates as an 

adjudication on the merits. Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b). 

Il. 

At a hearing on various motions to intervene held on 

February 27, 1989, the Court permitted the Black Legislative 

Caucus to intervene as a Plaintiff in this action in response to 

 



  

its oral motion. The Black Legislative Caucus filed no motion to 

intervene; nor did it file any pleading with this Court despite 

the express requirement of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24 (c) 

that a person desiring to intervene shall serve a motion to 

intervene upon the parties stating the grounds for which inter- 

vention is sought, accompanied by a pleading setting forth the 

claim or defense for which intervention is sought. Fed. R. Civ. 

Poi244{c). 

IIT. 

Since its intervention was permitted, the Black Legislative 

Caucus has made no effort to comply with Rule 24 (c) and has filed 

no pleading in this cause of action. Thus Defendants can frame 

no response to whatever cause of action the Black Legislative 

Caucus may perceive itself to have and its intervention should be 

involuntarily dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 41 (Db). 

WHEREFORE, Defendant Wood prays that the Court will involun- 

tarily dismiss the Black Legislative Caucus from this cause of 

action and that it will grant Defendant Wood such other and 

further relief in law and in equity to which she may show herself 

justly entitled. 

Respectfully submitted, 

PORTER & CLEMENTS 

  

      

  

  

  

  

. Eugene Clements 
00 Louisiana, Suite 3500 
ouston, Texas 77002-2730 

(713) 226-0600 

 



  

  

  
‘Darrell Smith re 
Attorney at Law 

10999 Interstate ing #905 
San Antonio, Texas 78230 
(512) 641-9944 

ATTORNEYS FOR HARRIS COUNTY 
DISTRICT JUDGE SHAROLYN WOOD 

OF COUNSEL: 

PORTER & CLEMENTS 

John E. O'Neill 
Evelyn V. Keyes 
700 Louisiana, Suite 3500 
Houston, Texas 77002-2730 

(713) 226-0600 

Michael J. Wood 
Attorney at Law 

440 Louisiana, Suite 200 
Houston, Texas 77002 

(713) 228-5105 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 
  

I hereby certify that on this 27th day of March, 1989, a 

true and correct copy of the foregoing Defendant Harris County 
District Judge Sharolyn Wood's Motion to Dismiss and Motion for 
More Definite Statement has been mailed first class to all 
counsel of record in this case as follows: 

William L. Garrett, Esq. 
Brenda Hall Thompson, Esq. 
Garrett, Thompson & Chang 

Attorneys at Law 
8300 Douglas, Suite 800 
Dallas, Texas 75225 

Rolando L. Rios, Esq. 
Southwest Voter Registration & 

Education Project 
201 N. St. "Mary's, Suite 521 
San Antonio, Texas 78205 

 



  

Susan Finkelstein, Esq. 
Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc. 
201 N. St. Mary's, Suite 600 
San Antonio, Texas 78205 

Julius Levonne Chambers, Esq. 
Sherrilyn A. Ifill, Esq. 
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. 
99 Hudson Street 

léth Floor 
New York, New York 10013 

Gabrielle K. McDonald, Esq. 
Matthews & Branscomb 

301 Congress, Avenue 
Suite 2050 
Austin, Texas 78701 

Jim Mattox, Attorney General of Texas 
Mary F. Keller, First Assistant Attorney General 
Renea Hicks, Spec. Assistant Attorney General 
Javier Guajardo, Spec. Assistant Attorney General 
P.:0. Box 12548 
Capitol Station 
Austin, Texas 78701 

Edward B. Cloutman, III, Esq. 

Mullinax, Wells, Baab & Cloutman, P.C. 
3301 Elm Street 

Dallas, Texas 75226-1637 

E. Brice Cunningham, Esq. 
777 So. R.L. Thornton Freeway 
Suite 121 
Dallas, Texas 75203 

Ken Oden, Esq. 

Travis County Attorney 
P. O. Box 1748 

Austin, Texas 78767 

David R. Richards, Esq. 
Special Counsel 
600 W. 7th Street 
Austin, Texas 78701 

 



  

Mark H. Dettman 
Attorney at Law 

P.O. Box 2559 
Midland, Texas 79702 

Vie, 
Evelyn V. Kéves / 
  

WO001/14/cdf