Brief for the United States as Amicus Curiae

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

rORT MYERS DIVISION

ABDUL AZLZ, €L aI.,

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PIa int I ffs,

No.79_57

i ! izens of
80, t,hey w

onsist,ing

s, Flonida

pursuan t
23(U)(2), F. R. Civ. p.

The compraint arreged bhaE bhe Defendanbs have impremenLed
and oaintained an at-rarge sysEem f:" the erecbion of bhe members
ol :;'ie Fort Myers cit,y council, and tiat such system has operaLed
co dirute bhe vot,e or brack ci bizens and denv them equar ac s
uo.-Els-norif.l-cjl.L pt-g_cq.qs 9f r_hu ciry in vioration of bhe

}[teen9t , }r"tsgllh "nd tlu_uenrlL Amendmenr,s ro Ehe

const'itution of Ehe Unibed sbates, and trz usc ss r97r, 1gT3,
seq. As a remedy the complainL prayed flor decraratory and

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injuncLive rerief requini.ng bhe esgabrishmenE ofl singre-memben

distnict,s for t,he erecEion of members of the city counci.I.
The coun! has junisdicLion of Ehe subjecL matLer and of the

part, i es .

A bench Eriar was conducLed in ForE Myers and, aflEer one
adjounnment, was concruded in January, 1g82. The parties
requesEed and Here granEed reave Eo file proposed cindiogs, and a

subsequent hearing was herd aE which orar argument, was

enbentained ' The enEny of a nuring Has t'rren wi Ehherd for a time,
arso at' t'he suggesEion of Lhe-.-.p.acLl-e, pending !he decision ofcfaD, clr' r'.re suggesrron or B-e_.-.p.arEies, pending !he decision of
Ehe supreore court t@ 2- u-s- , lozs.cr.

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3272 (1982), and Congressional considenaEion of whal became Ehe

Vot,ing Right,s AcE AoendmenEs of l9gZ, pub. L. No. 9T _2O5, qZ USC

s1973. The supreme courL has spoken, congress has acbed, and lhe
case is now ripe for deEenminaEion.

FINDINGS OF FACT

'l - The city of FonE Myers is rocaced in Lee counLy on bhe

SouEhwest Coasb of Florida and is t,he seat oi county govennmenL.

The cit,y was incorporaEed by act of t,he stat,e Legisratune in l9l I

In 1933 bhe City CharEen was amended Eo provide for Ehe elecbion
of five ciEy councir members by the voLers of each ofl five,
singre-member wands, with a Mayon erecEed aE-large. The counclr
acEs as a regl,sratlve, poricy making body; Ehe Mayor carries ou[
execuEive and administraEive frrnc0ions.

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a. rn nh Ehe cit,y had a

or 731 were white and 2,450 or

populat,ion had gnown t,o 36,638.

and 11,561 or 321 were black.

3. In 1957. at bhe behesE of Ehe Cit,y CounciI, Ehe

LegislaEure again aroended Che City Charter to provide fon Ehe

division of Ehe City inio five wards fon residence purposes, but

nequiring an at-Iarge elecEion fon each seat by majoriEy voLe.

TL is lhe implemenEaEion of EhaE syst'em and/on it,s continued

ruaintenance since 1957 EhaE is challenged by Ehe PIaint,i f fs in

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( l95l{ ) , was decided in l95lt bub was not implemenbed unLiI 1955.

349 U.S. 29r{, 75 S.CE. 753 (1955r. The Courtrs decislon was bhe

populaEion of

271 were black.

of whom 24,38 I

9,082 of whom 6,632

In I 980 Ehe

or 67, wene whiie

t,his acEion.

4. In an effonE Eo demonstrabe bhe moEivaEion uhich

proapLed t,he City bo adopt at-large elecLions in 1957, and Eo

place bhe 1957 aroendment of Ehe City Charber 1n hisborical

context, the Plaintiffs inEroduced a subst,aniial quantity of

evidence, in Ehe form of expert t,esEimony and oEhenwtse, Ehat Ehe

Sbabe of Florida in general and Ehe City of Fonb Myers in

panLiculan had always practiced and pnomoted boLh de jure and de

facEo racial segregabion up bo bhaE t,ime; and, more speciflicaIIy,

haC always baken sIeps to officially discounage parLicipaLion by

black voEens and can . ThaE Lhis

Has true Ehroughout Ehe hisbory of Florida and Fori Myers in lhe

years precedtng 1957 cannoL be dispu0ed, and I so e i.nd.

Bnown v Boand of Education, 34? U. S:-qE,-71i.S.Cu. 686



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dinect cause or a varieLy or oaneuvers durtng Ehe nexL severar
years by sEabe and 10ca1 0fficiars EhroughouE the.soulh t,o

circumvenE or avoid Ehe immediaEe i.mpact of bhe decision upon
raws and customs previousry designed to insune naciar segnegat,ion.
Thus, at bhe same meebing in 1g5T ab which Ehe ForE Myers CiCy
councir voEed to pet,it,ion t,he legisraiure to amend Ehe ci.ty
charEer Eo provide for aE-rarge erecEions of city councir
meobers, the Couneil also (l) sought a CharLer amendment

auEhorizLAg Ehe sare'on' lease of city owned, necreaEional
facilibies; and (4 enacEed a new and trore rest,rlct,l.ve dLsorderry
conduct ondinance. rc is @o find, thaL bobh of

muoicipar swimming poor was admiEbedry soughf ln order to avoid
racial inLegraEion (on t,o avoid Ehe perceived adverse economlc

consequences in Ehe evenE t,hose faciriEies Here inEegrat,ed); and

che disorderly conduct ordinance was a direc! response bo black
sponsoned civil rights demonsEnations and atEendant violence t,hen

being experlenced by ot,her ciEies in the sEaLe. rb is arso
signf icant, Ehat, ar.l !hr_e_e proposars were recommenrredl{sE-odttage
Eo i,he councir by Ehe Ehen city At,borney, panker Hor!, who was

described by arr t,he wlt,nesses as a serf-procralmed
segregablonist. Given t,hose clncumstances the platntlf ls unge

the court, r: ftnd Ehat, Ehe change to aE-rarge erect,tons was aLso
aoEivaLed, aL reasE in pant,, by considerations of race and a

Ehose oeasures Here prompEed by considerations of race. The
po*er t,o serr on rease Ehe municipar gorf counse .]\gn"

.'i '9' ,fi,i:l&iJ,ii.;,'rlre/,,,".YP,fipfiiffifi-i:g;ll'c" Ehe .'voEe or brack. cl tIzens.



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6- The ciEy, on rhe ot,her hand, presenued Ehe testimony or
tvro of the members of the 1gS1 Cit,y CounclI, Ernesu Stevensr and
clarence J. Zimmerman. Bobh gave cnedible t,esblmony Ehat, neIEher
was motiva0ed by considerallons of nace tn vot,i.ng to change Eo

aE-rarge erecEions wiEh ward residency requiremenbs. RaLhen,

E,hey wene infruenced by the fact thaE the. change had been

recorumended by the Florida League of MunicipaliEies as a treans of
avoiding bhe undesinabre provinclatit,y- oTlwina pom;f;
coltrItron phenomenon in many Flonida cibies at EhaE Eime; t,he facE

t,haL Ehe CounEy had successfully accomplished Ehe same t,ransition
to ab-iarge erecLions sevenar years before; Ehe facb Ehat bhe

Ehen exis;ing wards contained disproporElonat,e populabions; and a
mutuar desire !o be nid of a ferrow councirman, Newt Goodwin.

Apparentry, Mn. Goodwin was a skilred pract,itionen of ,rward

poriEicsrrand consisEenEry faired Eo vot,e, in the opinions of
Messrs. SEevens and Zimmerman, in the besL intenests of Ehe City
as a whore. At-range erect,ions, in t.heir view, wourd ef fectively
oust Goodwin from offtce (as actuarry happened aE bhe nexL

elecEion ) .

7. Since Ehe advent of aL-Iarge elecEions in 1957, and up

to Ehe ttne of Eriar, oo brack person had ever been erecued as a

member of Ehe Fort Myers city counclr. Erigr-bre brack voters

brot,her of JusELce John
Uni bed SEabes. He was

a young man in l9 3l{ , and
r 962.

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/*V". Stevens, lncidenLaIIy,
I PauI Stevens of the Supneme
/Uoro in ChicBBor moved Lo Fo

lserved on bhe Cit,y Council e

is Ehe older
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have nob regisEered au lhe same raees as r+hiEe voters. rn lggo

futre number of regisEered brack voters was onry 17.31 of bhe
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felectoraEe albhough blacks represehLed 327 of Ehe EoEaI
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lpopuraEion. Moneover, in foun erecEtons since r96B in which
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black candidaEes nan unsuccessfurry fon a seat on lhe council,
Ehe vote bended t,o porani ze acconding bo race; and in three of
Ehose four erecElons, black candidaEes were defeaLed arEhough

t,hey garnered an overwhelmlng najoniEy of b.he vote in Ehose wards

encpmpassing bhe black comuunit,y (Wands 2 and 3). Black ciEizens

soughL on aE reasL Ewo occasions in Ehe 1970s to persuade t,he

city council Eo abando'n aE-rarge elecilons, bu! Ehose efforts
were also unsuccessful.

B. Ot,hen facEons which have Eended bo inhiblt polltical
parEicipat,ion by black.candidates and vot,ers are: (a) the

IimiEed number and inconvenienE loca!ion of poIIIng places

ouEside pnedominantly black neighbonhoods; (b) Ehe requlrement of
a naJonity voLe, raLher than a plurallby, as a pnecondiBion to

elecEion; and (c) nedist,ricEtng bhe wards, when necessany due Eo

populaLion shifLs, in such a tranner as bo reLaln lhe resldency of

each incuobenb in hls on her exisEing wand.

by

Ehe City Council and t,he Ciby of Forl Myens ,to Ehe needs and

lnterests of t,he black communiEy. In 1975, for example, a class

acEion was bnoughE in t'his Count in behalf of aII black cLti.zens

of Fort, Myers craiming EhaE bhe ci t,y had engaged in pat,terns and

9. Thene is also evidence of general unresponslveness

p.1ac.E-ice.s. of raclal d IscriminaElon ln t,he pnovlslon of var!ous



ounlclpal services (Harris v. CiEy of FE. Myers, No. T6_13

civ'-Ft,M-K). whire Ehere was no adolssion or adJudtcat,ion
esBabrlsh.lng EhaE crairn,. the case was nesolved by . 

"on""nt,
decree whlch then brought about, subsEanElal servtce Ioprovement
ln t,he CiEy I s black coomuni ty. See Harnls v. Ci Ey of FE . Myers ,

624 F.2d 13et (5en cin. lggo). simirarly, in 1g7T Ehe office of
Revenue Sharing, DepanLmenE of Treasucyr issued an adoinistratlve
ruring EhaE Ehe city Has in non-cotrprlance with Ehe

anEi-discriminat,ion pnovisions of bhe Sbabe and Ldcal Assistance
Act, 3l usc sl242 ec seq., and governlng regulationsl and, in the
satre yean, t,he unibed ir.au" Depart,nent, of Houstng and urban

Developnrent ciEed t,he ciEyr s Houslng AuLhorlty fon arreged
viorations of Ehe non-discninination provlslons of rit,re vr of
Ehe civ ir Right,s AcE of 1954 , 42 usc seoooa, €t seq .

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

l - At,-range vot,ing schenes t,end Eo ut nlmlze che vot,ing
st,rengt,h of minonl Ey groups by perml tt,lng Ehe port tical ma jorl. !y
bo elecL all nepnesentaElves of Ehe district, on obhen poliLical

liv A dtsLincL raclar minoni t,y may be unable Eo erecE any

repnesent,acives tn an aL-rarge erecbion, y€E may be able Eo eLecL

sevenar represenbabtves if Lhe porL!icar unib' !s dlvlded int,o
stngre-ruember distrlcbs. The mlnortEyt s voElng powen in an

ab-.rarge erecEion system is parEtcurarry dlruEed when brock
vot,ing occurs and barrobs are casE arong raclar rlnes.



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NeverEheIess, !he

voUing systems are

Chavis, t{03 U. S.

ReresLer 412 U. S.

supneme courE has repeatedly herd EhaE ab-rar
noE unconsLiEuLional per se. Whibcomb v.

124, 142, 9l S.Ct. 1858, l868 ( l9?t); WhiBe v

755, 765, 93 s.cr . 2332, ?339 ( 1973); Mobire

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v. Bolden, 445 u. s. 55,66, too s.ct. 14g0, l4gg (lggo); Roser I

v- Lodre' 

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to2 s.ct. 3zTz, 3275 (t9gz).
?- The suprene courE has arso recognized, however, Ehat,

at-rarge elecEion scheoes vioraEe t,he Fourteenth Anendment, if
conceived or operat,ed as purposefur devices Eo funther caciar
discrimination by ainimizing, cancerring ouE or diruLing Ehe

voLlng st,rength of raciar erements in Ehe voElng populaEion.

Whit,comb v. chavis, supna,403 u.s. aE 149,9t s.cc. aE lBTz;
White v. RegesLer, supra, 4 t2 U.S. ae 765, 93 S.Ct,. at 2339;
Rogers v. Lodge,.supra, l0Z S.CE. aE 3?75.

3. comprainEs changlng bhat, aE-large erection sysEeus

unconsbi t,ut,ionalry dilube bhe vot,ing st,rengbh of ractar
minonit,ies ane thus subject, bo Ehe sEandard of pnoof genenarry

applicable Eo Equal ProEecEion Clause cases. Ihe plaintiffs ou

prove (a) bhat, Ehe systen was conceived or operated as a
punposefur discniminatory device bo furEhen naciar
discr.iruination; and (b) acbual differential lmpact, i.€.,
diruLion of bhe minoriEy's v-ffi[1,o6. Mobire v. Borden. suD.

a

and Rogers v. Lodge, supra; NAACp v. Gadsden counbv schoor Boarr

6gt F.2d 97B,98l (tlch clr. tg8z).

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q. rn evaluaEing Ehe evidence Eo debermine whet,her bheplainEiffs in such a case have successflurry proven purposefur
discrimlnat,ion and resurting impacE, it is noE sufficient, fon bhecourt Eo rely exclusively upon the so_called Ziamerr factors suchas a rack of oinonit,y access bo Ehe candida0e selecEion process;
unresponsiveness of elecEed officials to minority inEeresEs;
Eenuous sEate poricy underrying the preference fon aE_rarge
district,ing; and the existence of pasb discriminat,ion which
preerudes ef f'gctive participaEion in t,r," erecEoral process.
Mobile v. BoIden, supra.

5- .However, it is appnoprla.e Eo give conslderation Eo Ehe
zlmmen factors as ttems of ctncu'stanbrar evrdence Lndrcabtng
either bhe presence or absence of punposefur, discnlminabony
lntent. Rogers v. LodFe, supra, .nd 

,588 F-2d 960 (5trr cir. rgg2). And it must also be renenabered, in
t'he pnocess of de'ermining Ehe rssue of int,ent, bhat it need not
be shosrn bhaL discniminat,ony purpose was the doninant or primary
reason fon the ac'ron Eaken; iu oust appean onry Ehab such a
purpose was one of Ehe moEivaLing factors..

, 4?g u.s. ?52,
265-266, gT s.cr . 555, 563 (1977) .

rZlonen v. McKeiEhen, l{95 F.Zd lZgT (5th Ctn. t9Z3).

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6. Given my findings oe fac! concerning bhe credibre, non_
discnioinaEory expranat,ions offered by Messns. stevens and

Zlooeroan for t,he enactmenb oe the lg57 charEer amendment

adoptlng aE-range erect,i.ons (Findings of FacE, supra, paragraph
6), and were it, not fon che recenb decisions of Ehe courL of
Appeals in McMiIIan v. Escambia CounEy, 688 F.2d 960 (5th Cin.
1982) an!-NAACp v. Gadsden coun0v schoor Board, 69t F.zd 9?B
(11t'h Qin- 1982) especiarry Ehe rat,ten opinion - r wourd be

coaperred Eo concruae ,na"" the punp6sefur discriminabion
st,andard of Mobire v. Bolden, supra, bhab Ehe praintl.ffs in bhis

a

lnstance have nob pnoved Ehein case.

7 - However, 1n. Gadsden count,v school Board, supna, Ehe

court of Appeals herd as a matter of raw thab Ehe besLioony of
Dr. Jernell Shofner Has sufficienE Eo establish Che requlsite
dlscnlninabony lnEent concerning Ehe adopt,ion and maintenance of
aE-large school board elecblons in FIorida, and a DtsErl,cB Court,
finding of facb Eo the contnany was held Eo be clearly enroneous.
Dn.'shofner offened Ehe same tesEtoony and expressed t,he sane

opinton in this case based upon Ehe hist,ony of racially mobivaEed
pariticar ac0ions in t,he sLat,e and ihe city of Fori Myers.
Moreoven, in view of ihe other conteoporary poriticar deverop-
uents Eaklng place 1n ForE Myens durlng 1g5T (Utre charEer
aoendment, negardlng bhe sale or lease of Clt,y owned recreaEional
factllt,les and bhe dIsorderly conducE ordinance), bhe probable

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(Rrv.8/8ll

motives of uhe city ALtorney who prepared arr rhree measunes (as
disEinguished from Ehe moeives of Messrs. stevens and Zlmmenman),
and Ehe regar requirenent, thaE ractar discriolnaEton need nob be
bhe priarary on dominant punpose of Ehe change Eo aL-rarge erec_
blons, r am obrj$ge"
lh.t pu"po""fuI di"."i,oin.Cion in U

E

"t-rr"su uru"tior iuv councir in Fort Myens has been

""t.bli"h"d. The second prong of the 
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differedtial iopacE and diluEion,of the qinorltyrs vot,ing powen
(Conclusions of Law, supra, panagraph 3) _ _ has also been
esEablished (Findings of Fact, supra, panagraph T).

B- rt fo110ws Ehat, t,he plain'rffs and Ehe crass .hey
nepnesent have been denied equal pnoEecEion of the raw Ln
vlolat'ion of Ehe FourEeenbh AnendaenL and aqe enLibred Eo rerief.
Having concruded Ehat Ehe plainLiffs are enEit,red to rerref
on bheir const,ituEionar cralm, rt ts unnecessary Eo considen or
decide Ehe sEat,ubony craims pnedicabed upon the vot,ing RighEs Acb
AoendmenEs of I gB2, pub. L. No. gT_205, 42 usc $ r gzs. see NAACp

r SUDI.B, 69t F.zd at, 98l, n. 4.
9 ' ThaE porLion of t,he ci ry charten of the ci ty of Fonb

Myens providing for eh1r1crc,:lon of arr members of Ehe ctty
Council bhrough ab-Iarge elecEions ls declan to be
unconsblEubionar' Howeven, the count wilr refraln fnom ondening
any parElcular redisEricEing pran into effect, unELr bhe

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Defendan0s have been given an opport,uniuy Eo devise a pran for
Ehe Orect,ion or members of Ehe ForB Myers ci.ty councir, ln whore

on in part, from slngre memben dist,rict,s or wards. see }lise v.
Lipscomb, 437 U.S. 535,98 S.Cr . Zqg3 (19?g). The or"r"il"
wards sharr be fairry drawn t,o satisfy one-person, one-vote
nequirements and to prevent Bhe diluLion of black vot,ing sEnengEh.

The Defendantsr pran sharr be submitLed wit,hin sixLy (60) days.
The Plaint i f f s shall Ehen have Ehi nt,y ( 30 ) days thereaf Eer wi t,h in
which to :espond. The courb wirr t,hen ent,en iLs Finar Deeree

wiEh or wit,hout, such addibional heartngs or proceedings as it,
shalI then deeu n"""""""y.

10. Alr oaotions necent,ry f ired by Ehe part,l.es subsequent to
orar argument are deeued to be Moor and ars-DENTED.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DONE and ORDERED aE Tampa, FIorida, bhis

Febnuary,1983.
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