Reapportionment Criteria
Annotated Secondary Research
February 2, 1982

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Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Hardbacks, Briefs, and Trial Transcript. Reapportionment Criteria, 1982. 92d3f387-d392-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/778ac21b-3577-458c-89cf-2c5891affefe/reapportionment-criteria. Accessed July 30, 2025.
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I i I I I I I i I I i doo=e L€e 8uff, tv€ Re -)rS?( tLTI.NG co/,LrL,1trT{ n\oF.-et - REA PPORT IONI'IE{T CRITERIA The counittei responsible for redistricting tbe North ,-2-8a o-2 Carolina House of Representatives, assisted by the legislative staff, shall be guided by the following standards in the developnent of the plan for the State House: -- I. Each legislative district shalI, in accordance witb the requireoents of the 14th Anendnent to the Constitution of the united states and of Article rr, sections ,(r) and 5(r) of the constitution of North carorina, be drawn so as to contain as nearly as possible 49f015 for each House member in such legislative districts. The population variation (relative deviatioa) of each district sha1l fall.between plus and minus five percent (!r%). 2. rn order to avoid the dilution of the voting rigbts of racial minorities as protected by the voting Rigbts lct of L96, and tbe 14th and lrth Aroenduents to the United States Constitution, concentratioas of racial ninorities shall not be fractured, dividecl, or diluted or submerged by the use of multi-member districts, as opposed to single roerober districts in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Unitecl States Constitution or the Constitution of North Carolina. ,. AlL legislative districts sha1l consist of contiguous temitory as required by the North Carolina Constitution and shall be as compact as is practicable consistent with requirements 1 and 2 above. 4. 1Io the extent eonsistent with aII of the above require- ments, districts should be constructed so as to recognize the statets historic comrounities and comraonalities of interests witb respect to the inbabitants and constituencies within such districts. I I li _ ...:, I I : ,,,:.:i {:: I I -2- '; ,. To the extent not inconsistent lrith all of the above I I\-?' standards and in order to nininize voter confusion and naintain , the interests set out in paragraph 4 above, present legislative district lines shall be preserved. 6. No county shall be subdivided nor shal1 a corrnty line be broken unless necessary to neet the requirenents of I tbrough ! above ?. During the course of its work' the coronittee shall consult with the legisLative staff, the Attorney General and retained counsel with respect to any legal issues' 8. The counittee sball conplete its work to the end that a legislative proposal is prepared for the conrnittee to hold a public hearing on its proposed plans the week of Febrlal';r I' 1982. ( ! Tbe coouittee shaIl, in consultation with counsel' prepare raailings I notifying interested individuals and organizations throughout the gtate of the date and tine of the public bearing and shall also cause appropriate press releases to be prepared for the nedia. , Tbe conroittee shall also prepare notices for publication in the I legal notices section of appropriate newspapers. 9. After the public hearing has been held, the cororuittee sha1l seek such opinions fron the Attorney General and retained . counsel as tbey deem appropriate and to report a bill favorably to be acted upon by the Legislature the week of Febnrary 8r 1982. I I ll i Irl I -l U a: