Correspondence from Lani Guinier to Gerald Hebert, Esq. Re: Louisiana Congressional Reapportionment (Deposition Subpoenas)
Correspondence
January 11, 1983
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Legal Department General, Lani Guinier Correspondence. Correspondence from Lani Guinier to Gerald Hebert, Esq. Re: Louisiana Congressional Reapportionment (Deposition Subpoenas), 1983. e834c69d-e492-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/72fd77ac-a472-49e3-8968-56ecafd7a81d/correspondence-from-lani-guinier-to-gerald-hebert-esq-re-louisiana-congressional-reapportionment-deposition-subpoenas. Accessed December 04, 2025.
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C.i.vj.I Rights Oivision
r..lni t-.r-:cl Sltates Departrnent of Justice
l.t)tl'r & Constitution, N.W
,i,:1.'.ngLon, D.C.; 20530
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l-,oui siana Congressional
( i)eposit.'ron Strbpoenars )
F.S. il:2-050I
llrl:crt:
Janur;rry li, I9 B 3
Re appor t i onrnent
. wr:'.LLe t,o conf irm our convcrsrati.on of January 7,1983. yorr
,.' :,i)ri nrr: E,hqt .the Department of Justice wirr oppose enf orce-' '. '- of deposition subpoenas F. s r B2-o5or , ai the grounds:itated j.n Gerald,,Iones' Ie'Eter to me of rlanuary 6r I9g3l j..e.,
that,' in'formatlon,: such as the reasoning,' factu6t inierences oritPpllcatlon'of legal standards to the Louisiana Congressionalirunmission by.'the Justice Department staf f is not disioverable.
, ()'r' c:xampIe, the recommendations and analysis are. expurgated inrii. copy of ii'the; memorandum of Robert xwan, whi"n Mt. Jones
{.r.r ni.shec1 to me on January 6, r9s3 in response to plaintif f s June
,',i , .1.982 FOrA request and to our Decemter 13 afreemenf that r,,.,;L'i 1r. to enf orce t,he. surbpoenas LlntiI you provide:the po::tion of[,'/ilr,:)s:tecl informatlon that the De1:lartnrent will voluntarilyi :,tse . r assume, f rom, the DepartmenL.'s decision to withhord
it;
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'.i-. iiwanrs recommendationsr' that his recommendations arei\YvL{rr p !sevllurrsllt.tcLLJ.r.Jrr,57 L.r,tctL III!j Ie(]QllllltgnoaEIons are:ii.€,:::ont than the finar d.ecision of Mr. Reynold,s not to object,\Eyll\JrLrD I19 L E9 OpJeCl I)r:)i,'(l.9r,.-Grutnman.Aj.reraft,421.U.Sj].6B,-- .--.-
i,.:' ; t'.t ) r (n\emoranda contalnLng recorTtmendations or conclusions
t:ir;:rL' were adopted by the decision rnaker shouLd be d,iscloseci).
Since no recommendations or conclusions of the other staff whoreviewed the submission (i.e., you and Gerald. Jones, sectionchief , voting Rights section) hJve been provid.ed., r. assume asweII that those recommendations and. analysis were not reflectedin t-he final decision
You have indicated. that at this time, however,.the Depart-rnent tviII not stipulate that the oecision of the assistant
/\r:horney General not to object to Act No. 20 of the Louisiana[,r':gislature was inconsistent w.ith the analysis and recommenda-t-'otrs of the staff who reviewed the submisiion and. had prima::yrcrsiponsibility for the investigation. I will therefore need to
pr:oceed with deposltions.
r: t- U t,t rt U S c I R c L t: hIEV/ YOIIK N,'/ r 00 t !)
you agreed that it marces scnse for rne to renobice bheclep'65itions for a date afte:: t.he Dis:t::ict Cor_rr:t in Louisj_ana has;, chanc€i E.o rure on rhe relerreincc of i"rli-,!r";di;; inro rhi:,''i r-cnurstances :urrounding rev.ierv or- t-l-re sur-rrrrission, (ii ,,:,:'l;':i-t1[i-f f s lr4otion in Linr:'.ne to Ft;<cl.ucir: Evi-cience, attaclred). r.,r r- -l- l. p::obabry , rendticE-TEem f or u.,,,r"ti*" ".i"ii-rig";;:
week o:fr 'i.'r'relr:y 2,4, 1983. p-Iease advise ,rc ii any clate that week is'i)ir.1'1--ir:u.1.;r::1y inconvenient for yo, o., ir," other propol.a';;p;:
', 'rrc'rition, r wourcl l.ike the record to ref rect that whi_re,''()operateci to a greal_ r,.,:<l-r::trt wi r-h my r(1q11(1 ,::tli :[o::; r)rr r lou Jrave decrined tr: pr:ov.i.de =J,,rurui i tems .t''1,',.1 Ly reque:;ted, e.9. Mr:. l(r,vari,s and ot.her staff. '.'.'r; i. :; , ,ecomme^da Lions , ancl mernorand.a ref recting the in-, ' '|''(1r, ,lr.'rrwll- by tlrt-. staJrf f :rorn tlre Jiaetlq 11$ Welr AS r:he1 i-tt'''- i' or wilriarn Llraclf orci. Reyno.l.ctsr Memoranclum to tlre F j.le, , ,',.r Jr-rne r8,,,rgg2. hrhile _r appreciate /"r, it ir.ictance toj:t-'.);rse che orlginar memorandy*,-';i*,it providing-;-- self _:i(:rrving explanatlon of its back.ao-tlrig-iE not satisf actory, x[]teref ore rene-w,,Ty lgque.st for t19 orlblnal of t,hir-."*o"undum,i:r's werl as for Mr. KwLn's and arr otnli staff .niry=i=,rrlcorTlm€[dations and memoranda ref lecting inferen"d, ar"rn byl.-itt: staf f f rom ,the f acts of the invuriigation. -At the very.l.oir.rit I r
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requegt a sta,tement, that lvlr. Kwan,s and other st,af t,' '',rr)urrlencictt,lons.rlranaLysis and lnf eren'ees drawn f:roi- tno f aets" r'tr 'i'nconsistent with -and are noI ref lectecl in the clecision ofi..r,_r ,\ssistant,),t,torn.y General not to 6t-j;;:'. -"-,*=
Thank you, for your.,cooperation
S i ncere Ly /J.r'fi
Xtl"y/J+-yLani Guinier
Attorney for plaintiffs
I"Iajor v. Treen,
CiviI Action No. gZ-1L92
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