Memorandum from Lani Guinier to Jack Greenberg and Jim Nabrit Re: Major v. Treen (Louisiana Congressional Reapportionment)

    Memorandum

To : Jack
.J ].m

:11
From: .f.Lbni

Greenberg
Nabrit

Guinier

Major v. Treen (Louisiana Congressional Reapportionment)

March 23, I9B3

Re:

Date:

In July L982 you approved a budget of $15,000.00 for
this litigation. The complaint originally challenged the
reapportionment plans for the Louisiana Senate, House and
Congressional districts, but as a result of the Justice
Department review (in which we invested substantial time)
or,1y the allegations regarding the Congressional plan went to
trial.

The trial was before a three judge court. Tria1 took
four days. The case received a lot of publicity (including
a favorable editorial in the Baton Rouge paper) and, despite
the absence of a ruling from the court, was perceived as a
success by all the plaintiffs' lawyers.

Needless to sErlr our costs were high. First, we ordered
a Lranscript to prepare the post trial proposed fj-ndings.
Although ri/e are splitting the cost with defendants, we will be
bi1led approximately $3000.00 for our share. The transcript
was ordered because the case will be appealed directly to the
Supreme Court and will therefore be one of the first to interpret
the new amendment to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

In addition, we used two expert witnesses who easily put
in over 250 hours on the trial preparation. The other major
expense involved the preparation of giant visual aids reproducing
maps of various plans and then producing smaller photographs of
the maps for each of the judges.

f request a new budget for this case of $281000.00, or
$13,000.00 additional. Ir,le already have paid about $5,000.00
and are presently responsible for $20,000.00 additional expenses,
including court costs. Vtre already have bills from the expert
witnesses the court reporters and our cooperating attorneys of
$20,500.00. I am attaching a detailed expense sheet for
$L6,235.40 which is complete except for the time for one wit-
ness ($000.00), the expenses of one attorney ($500.00), and the
transcript ($3000.00) .

I regret our inability to keep costs down further, but I
am convinced that we will win this case and will recover all that
we invest.

LG/ r
Attach