Correspondence from Chambers to Williams

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LDF Attorneys
Cooperating Attorney
- Leslie J. Winner
Organization
- NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund, Inc.
Matter
- Gingles
Case
- Thornburg v. Gingles
U.S. state
- North Carolina
Collection
- Case Files
Taxonomy
Identifier
- e17dff91-de92-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873

Cite this item

Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Working Files - Guinier. Correspondence from Chambers to Williams, 1981. e17dff91-de92-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/20e22515-16b8-42f7-b065-f826980ff805/correspondence-from-chambers-to-williams. Accessed July 20, 2025.

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Jt,t-ll rs LEVONNE CHAMBERS
JAMfS E FENGUSON. II

MEt VIN L \^r'ATT

JONATIIAN WALLAS
XATIL ADKINS

JAMES C FULLER. JR,

C YVONNE MIMS

JOHN W GRESHAM

RONALO L, GIBSON

CHAMBERS, FERGUSON. WATT. WALLAS, ADKINS & FULLER. P.A.
ATTORNI YS AT LAW

SUIT€ 730 EAST INOEPENOENCE PLAZA

95I SOUTH INDEPENOENCE BOULEVARO

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 2A2O2
TELEPHONE (704) 375.A461

March 5, 1981

Mr. Napoleon B. Williams, Jr.
NMCP Legal Defense and

Educational Fund, Inc.
10 Columbus Circle - Suite 2030
New York, New York 10019

Re: NorLh Carolina Reapportionment

Dear Napoleon:

Thank you for your letter of February 20, 1981. You indicate ihyour letter that the Fund may be able to assisE us in our ,"- I
apportionment efforts "if it turns ouL that we have the basi.s for
a substantial claim." r trust that you appreciate that allrour
c1Effi slre-].sub st ant ial . "

During ths past three or four months, r have been meeting with
Steve Suitts of the Southern Regional Council, Dr. Raymond Wheeler,
also of the iouncil, and Richard Klein and Leslie Winner of Legal
Services of North Carolina, exploring the possibility of some liti-
gation which would encourage affirmative drawings of representative
districts in order to improve the opporLunity of minorities for
election to the State House or Senate or to Congress. We have been
focusing on the congressional districts and the House and Senate
disEricts of North Carolina.

WiLh respect to the congressional districts, we get no ner/i repre-
sentatives with thc 1980 Census. A bill has been submitted to the
Legislature (sec Item 1 attached hereto) wl'rich basically re-establishes
tl-re samc districts. Therc is a move afoot, however, to redraw the
congressional districts, particularly for Mecklenburg County, the
Ninth District, Guilford County, the Sixth District and Durham Countl,
the Fourrh District. The changes being proposed, parricularly for
the Fourth District, will improve minority opportunities.

4
,iif!,

Mr . Napoleon B. I^lilliams , Jr .
March 5, 1981
Page Two

Reapportionment of the House and Senate districts poses a problem
because of Article l, Sf and Article 2, 55 of the North Carolina
Constitution. The Constitution prohibits dividing a county for
the purpose of establishing a House or Senate district (see Items
2A and 2B , memoranda of Leslie Winner, attached hereto).
Steve Suittsr memorandum of September 2,1980 (Item 3) shows thaE
minority election possibilities can be improved if separate
districts could be established within counties or by combining
two or more counties.

The present population and racial composition of the House and
Senate districLs are shown on Items 4 and 5.

Since several North Carolina counties are now subject to $5 of the
Voting Rights Act, see Items 6 and 7, we have been trying to determine
if we could use 55 or 52 in trying to impose an affirmative obligation
on the State in redrawing the districts. We have also looked briefly
at some other possibilities (see Item 8 dealing with the Revenue
Sharing Act).

I am also enclosing some mi-scellaneous news articles and material.

It now appears that the Legislature will have to come back in a
special session. We are interested in instituting a proceeding
as soon as possible challenging the SEate constitutional provisions
which prohibit setting up separate districEs within counties or
from establishing a district acrorss county lines and in trying to
establish an affirmative obligatibn on the State in re-districting
to establish districts which improve minority opportunities for
participating in or in being elected to State House and Senate
districts and to Congress.

Our next meeting has been scheduled for March 9 at 12:30 at this
office. If possible, w€ would very much like for you to attend.

JLC:md
Enclosures
cc: SEeve Suitts

Raymond Wheeler
Richard Klein, Leslie Winner

Sincerely yours,

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Correspondence from Chambers to Williams

LDF Attorneys

Cooperating Attorney

Organization

Matter

Case

U.S. state

Collection

Taxonomy

Identifier

Cite this item

Copyright notice

Additional info

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