Answer
Working File
December 9, 1981

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Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Hardbacks, Briefs, and Trial Transcript. Answer, 1981. fc5abbc2-d292-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/6019f80b-fc91-4b7e-aba2-093bd87399aa/answer. Accessed July 13, 2025.
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POR RALPH GINGLES, Et Plainti v. RUFUS EDMISTEN, €t Defenda The Complaint be granted. The Defendants allegations contai 1. Defendants injunctive rel j-ef . to form a trelief a identity of the p1 allegations of par 2. Defendants 3. Defendants belief as to the t 4. Defendants 12, 13. 5. Defendants Defendants admit Board of Elections M. Envin, Ruth T. are now members of 6. Defendants 7. Defendants belief as to the t 20, 21, 22, 23. ( THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CAROLINA NO. 81-803-crv-s IE EASTERN DISTRIET OF NORTTI RALEIGH DIVTSTO}I CIVIL ACTION 1., fs, ANSITTER ails al., ) ) ) FIRST DEFENSE to state a claim upon trhich admit the allegations of paragraph are raithout sufficient knovrledge to ir I -!-r '* l't') IDEC - S iUUI J.,RlCl-l LEOIIARD, CLERI( U. S. DISTRICT COURT E" DIST. NO. C]\R. relief can SECOND DEF'ENSE in the above-captioned action ansv/er the ed in the Complaint, as follows: _ admit that plaintifts seek declaratory and Defendants are without sufficient knoryledge to the truth of the allegation regar<1ing intiffs. Defendants deny all the remaining graph 1. admit the allesations of Paragraphs 2, 3, 4. are rvithout Sufficient knorrledge to form a uth of the allegations of paragraphs 5, 6, 7 , g. admit the allegations of paragraphs g, 10, 11, deny the allegations of paragraphs L4, 15. at Robert I^r. Spearman is nov, a member of the and its Chairman. Defen<lants admit that El1oree emashko, William A. .Yarsh, Jt. and John A.. Walk-er the Board of Elections. 16. form a 17 , 18, lg,uth of the allegations of paragraphs 8. Defendant 27, 28, 29, 30. 9. Defendant 10. Defendant 11. Defendant belief as to the L2. Defendant 13. Defendant L4. Defendant belief as to the 15. Defendan 16. Defendant belief as to the L7. Defendant helief as t-o the 18. Defendant that they admit Consti-tution. 19. Defendant as to the truth o 19a. Defendant 20. Defendants 21. Defendants 22. Defendants 23. Defendant 24. Defendant 25. Defendant except Defendants Chapter 800 of th by enactment of C 26. Defendant 27. Defendant -2- admit the allegati.ons of Paragraphs 24 , 25, 26 , deny thc allegations of Paragraph 31. admit the allegations of Paragraphs 32, 33. are without sufficient knovrledge to form a th of the allegations of Paragraph 34. deny the allegations of Paragraph 35, 36. admit the allegations of paragraphs 37 , 38. are urithout sufficient knowledge to form a uth of Paragraph 39. admit the allegations are wi-thout suffici.ent uth of Paragraph 41. are r'rithout sufficient uth of the allegations of Paragraph 40. k-nowledge to form a knovrledge to form a of Paragraph 42. Paragraph 43, exceptdeny the allegations of t the 1981 Apportionment obeys the North Carolina are without sufficient knowledge to form a belief the allegations of Paraqraph 44. a<lmit the allegations of paragraph 45 deny the alleqations of Paragraph 46. admit the allegations of paragraph 47. deny the allegations of paraqranh 48, 49. a<1mit the allegations of paraqraph 50. deny the allegations of paragraphs 51, 52. admit the allegations of paraqraphs 53, 54, 55, asny the allegations of Paragraph 54, insofar Session Larvs of I9B1 has been rendered void pter 1130. <leny the allegations of paraqraph 56. admit the allegations of Pariagraph 57 , 28. Defendant insofar as the pI of Chapter 1130. 29. Defendant 30. Defendant 53. 31. Defendant 32. Defendant a belief as to th 33" Defendant 34. Defendant 35" Defendan 36. Defendant 37. Defendant 38. Defendant 39. Defendant 40. Defendant belief as to the 41. Def,endant 42. Defendan 43. Defendant 44. Defendant 45. Defendant 46. Defendant except insofar as 47. Defendant belief as to the 48. Defendant 49. Defendant that Defendants a repealed the July -3- deny the allegations of n has been rendered void Paragraph 58, 59 by the enactment deny the allegations admit the allegations of Paragraph 60. of Paracraphs 61, 62, deny the allegations of paragraphs 64 " are vrithout sufficient knorvledge to form truth of the allegations of Paragraph 65. admit the allegations of paragraph 66. deny the allegations of Paraqraph 67 , 68. admit the allegations of Paragraph 69. deny the allegations of Paragraph 70. admit the allegations of pdragraph 71" deny the allegaticrns gf Faragraph 72. admit the allegations of Paragraph 73, 74. are hrithout sufficient knovrledge to form a ruth of Paragraph 75. deny the allegations of Paragraph 7G. admit the allegations of paragraph 77. deny the allegations of paraqraph 78. admit the allegations of paragraph 79. deny the allegations of par-aqraph BO. admit the allegations of paragraph 81, BZ, 83, pter 800, is superseded by Chapter 1130. are r,rlthout suffj-cient knovrle<1ge to form a uth of the allegations of paragraph 84. admit the allegations of Paragraph 85. denv the allegations of paragraph 86, except t that subsequent to Julv 1981, the legislature 19 B 1 apporti- onment . 50. Defendant 89, 90, 91. 51. Defendant 52. Defendnat 53. Defenclant belief as to the 54. Defendant 55. Defendant 56. Defendant 57. Defendant of 1981 rvas enac Defendants deny aI 58. Defendants 59. Defendant 60. Defendants -4- admit the allegations of Paragraphs 87, 88, deny the alleqations of Paragraph 92. admit the allegations of Paracrraph 93, 94, 95. are vrithout sufficient knor.rledqe to form a th of the allegations of paragraph g6 o 97. admit the allegations of paragraph gB. deny the allegations of paragraph 99. admit the allegations of paragraph 100. admit that Chapter 1130 of the Sessj.on Laws in accordance r+ith Article II, Section 5(3) other allegations of paraoraph 101. deny the allegations of paragrlph 102. admit the allegations of paragraph 103" : deny the allegations of paraqraph 104. Only forty (40 arc subject to the Voting Rights Act. The legi-s1atu precise mathemati Apportionment of t justified by ratio engaged in a good faith effort to I apportionment. The deviatlons in General Assembly were unavoidable 1 state policies. THIRD DEFENSE .of North Carolina's one hundred (100) counties preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the FOURTH DEFENSE achieve a the 1981 and are The Constituti Section 5(3.), have for precleeirance. to these anendment to sue in Federal FTFTH DETEIISE na1 Amendments, Article II, Section 3(3) and heen submitted to the Department of Justice The Attorney General has interposed objection . The State of North Carolina has the option istrict Court in the District of Columbia for !:9*i !-,., ..-..,ri# a final determinat the validity and finally dOtermined WHEREFORE, Def allegation contain Supplemerital Compl that this Court de with prejudice. Respectfully s Of Counsel: Jerris Leonard & A 900 17th Street, lI suite 1020 Washington, D. C. Telephone: (202) 8 -5- on of the val j-dity of these amendments. Thus, forceability of the amendments has not been ndants having ful1y answered each and every in the Plaintiff's Complaint and plaintiff's int; and having set forth, .tlreir ,defenses, pray y the relief recluested and dislniss the:Complaint tted.thi's --1- day of December, 1981" RUFUS L. ED}4 STE}I ATTORNEY GENERAT, I.Iorth Carolina Department of Justice Post Office Box 629 Raleigh, North Carofina 27602 Telephone: (9f9) 733-3377 Attorney for Defendants Dlorma Harretl Tiare Smilelz .Assistant Attorneys General John Lassiter Associate Attorney General socj-ates, P.C. 20006 2-L09s Waflace;..Trl Attorney Gen .fof Legal Affairs- Adtdrney General's office I Answer in the hereby certi upon Plaint United Stat This tne ? ( -5- CERTIF'TCATE OF' SERVTCE y that I have this day served the foregoing ffs' attorneys by placing a copy of said pleading Post Officer postage prepaid, addressed to: J. Levonne Chambers Leslie Winner' Chambers , Ferguson, I{att, Irial las , Adkins & Fuller, p.A 951 South fndependence Boulevard Charlotte, llorth Carolina 28202 . Jack Greenberg James M. Nabrit, Iff Napeoleon B. I{illiams, Jr. 10 Columbus Circle New York, New York 10019 ay of December, 1981.