Correspondence from Winner to Leonard; Motion to Certify Class Rule 23, F.R. Civ. P.; State Board of Elections Registration Statistics Part II; Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion to Certify Class; Affidavits
Correspondence
December 15, 1981 - March 16, 1982

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Case Files, Milliken Hardbacks. Answer to Complaint on Behalf of Defendants, 1970. 3c855ae3-53e9-ef11-a730-7c1e5247dfc0. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/7033b6f3-7233-43fa-bca8-fa9d354b4fa4/answer-to-complaint-on-behalf-of-defendants. Accessed August 19, 2025.
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT ' EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN . SOUTHERN DIVISION RONALD BRADLEY, et al, Plainti ffs, Civil Action No. 35257 ANSWER TO COMPLAINT ON BEHALF OF DEFENDANTS, WILLIAM G. MILLIKEN, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, FRANK J. KELLEY, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND JOHN W. PORTER, ACTING SUPERINTEN- DENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION._____________________ Now come defendants, William G. Milliken, Governor of the State of Michigan and ex-officio 'member of Michigan' State Board of Education, Frank J. Kelley, Attorney General of the State of Michigan, Michigan State Board of Education and John W. Porter, Acting Suoerin— tendent of Public Instruction (hereafter collectively referred to as the State Defendants), by their attorneys, Frank J. Kelley, Attorney General of the State of Michigan, and Eugene Krasicky, Assistant Attorney General, and make their answer to plaintiffs’ complaint in the above captioned cause by respectfully representing to this Court as follows: I. The allegations in paragraph I of plaintiffs’ complaint t are conclusions of lav; requiring no answer. II. The State Defendants lack sufficient information to form a belief as to the truth of the allegations contained in paragraph II of plaintiffs’ complaint and leave plaintiffs to their proofs. III. The State Defendants lack sufficient information to form a belief as to the truth of the allegations contained In paragraph III of plaintifts’ complaint and leave plaintiffs to their proofs. vs . WILLIAM G. MILLIKEN, Governor of the State of Michigan, et al, Defendants. ________________________________________ / exhibit a IV. The State Defendants admit the allegations contained In paragraph IV of plaintiffs’ complaint except insofar as such allegations are conclusions of law requiring no answer concerning the legal responsibilities of the defendants. V. The allegations contained in paragraph V of plaintiffs complaint are conclusions of law requiring no answer. VI. The State Defendants deny the allegations contained in paragraph VI of plaintiffs' complaint. VII. The State Defendants admit the allegations contained in paragraph VII of plaintiffs' complaint. * / VIII. The State Defendants lack sufficient information to form a belief as to the truth of the allegations contained in paragraph VIII of plaintiffs' complaint and leave plaintiffs to the! proofs. IX. The State Defendants admit that on April 7, 1970 the Detroit Board of Education made certain attendance area changes affecting 12 senior high schools and as to the balance of the allegations contained in paragraph IX of plaintiffs' complaint the State Defendants lack sufficient information to form a belief as to the truth of such allegations and leave plaintiffs to their proofs. t X. The State Defendants admit the allegations contained in paragraph X of plaintiffs' complaint. XI. The State Defendants admit that four members of the Detroit School Board were recalled at an election held on August 1970, admit that Public Act ^8 was approved by the Governor on July 7, 1970, deny that Public Act voided any desegregation plan, and, lacking sufficient Information to form a belief as to the truth of the remainder of the allegations in paragraph XI of plaintiffs’ complaint, leave plaintiffs to their proofs. XII. The State Defendants admit Exhibit E, which speaks for itself, deny plaintiffs’ interpretation of Exhibit E, and deny the conclusions of law constituting the remainder of paragraph XII of plaintiffs’ complaint. XIII. The State Defendants admit the allegations contained in the first two sentences of paragraph XIII of plaintiffs’ complaint, admit Exhibit F, which speaks for itself as to the composition of the regions, and deny the last sentence of paragraph XIII of plaintiffs’ complaint. XIV. The allegations contained in paragraph XIV of plaintiffs’ complaint are conclusions of law requiring no answer. XV. The allegations contained in paragraph XV of plaintiffs’ complaint are conclusions of law requiring no answer. XVI. The allegations contained in paragraph XVI of plaintiffs' complaint are conclusions of law requiring no answer. XVII. The State Defendants admit that there is a constitu tional duty to operate a unitary public school system and affirmatively state that the Detroit Public Schools are under the operational control of the Detroit Board of Education. XVIII. The State defendants deny the allegations contained in paragraph XVIII of plaintiffs' complaint. XIX. The State Defendants deny the allegations contained in paragraph XIX of plaintiffs' complaint. - 3- * XX. The State Defendants deny the allegations contained in paragraph XX of plaintiffs' complaint. XXI. The State Defendants deny the allegations contained in pargraph XXI of plaintiffs' complaint. XXII. The State Defendants deny the allegations contained in paragraph XXII of plaintiffs' complaint. XXIII. The State Defendants deny the allegations contained in paragraph XXIII of plaintiffs' complaint. AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE I. Plaintiffs' complaint fails to allege that any of the plaintiffs would have attended a 'different senior high school pursuant to the attendance area changes affecting twelve high schools made by the Detroit Board of Education on April 7, 1970. Further, plaintiffs' complaint fails to allege that any of the plaintiffs attend any of the twelve senior high schools affected by the same April 7> 1970 attendance area changes. Thus, plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate the requisite standing to attack the constitutionality of the first sentence of Section 12 of Act M8, PA 1970, which delayed implementation of the April 7, 1970 attendance area changes until the commencement of functions by the newly established first class school district boardr on January 1, 1971. WHEREFORE, the State Defendants respectfully pray and move: A. That this Honorable Court, pursuant to Rule 12 (b)(6), B’ederal Rules of Civil Procedure, dismiss plaintiffs' complaint as to the State Defendants for failure to state a claim upon which reliei can be granted. - 4 - B. That this Honorable Court, pursuant to Rule 12 (c), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, enter its judgment on the pleadings in favor of the State Defendants as against plaintiffs. FRANK J. KELLEY Attorney General / ) ■ x , -/s A t . * ; Wi-Ao*-. X. Eugene Krasicky ’ Assistant Attorney General Gerald F. Young Assistant Attorney General Attorneys for Defendants Business Address: Seven Story Office Building 525 West Ottawa Street Lansing, Michigan 48913 Dated: October 13, 1970