Ruling May Boost Black Role in Legislature News Clipping

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25( v"t.93 o No. 307 . 26 Poger r (C) l98l Thc Chorlotfc Newi

:Rulimg mCIy '.r@!e in l*gislgiure
By DAN FESPERMAN
OF THE NEWS SIAFF

RALEIGH - In a ruling that
could bolster black representation
in the state legislature, and espe-
cially in the Mecklenburg County
delegation, the U.S. Justice a De-
partment has rejected a state con.
stitutional amendment that for-
bids splitting counties for
legislative districts.. Leslie Winner, a Charlotte at-
torney involved in a lawsuit
against the state's political redis-
tricting plans, said she was in-
formed of the ruling Monday. She
expected to receive written con-

firmation in this afternoon's mail.
Unless the ruling is overturned

by.an appeal to federal court in
Washington, the statels recentlY
redrarvn legislative districts will
probably also be turned down bY
the Justice Department. That's be-
cause the rejected Provision
greatly affected the shaPes and
boundaries of those districts.

In Irlecklenburg, the Provision
has meant the county has been an.
eight-member, at-large district in
the state House. In the state Sen--
ate, Mecklenburg has been
lumped together with adjoining
Cabarrus County as a four'mem'.

.; .", - : -^_t.-.

. .. . 
*r::"-,*','l : . ":j$ittit*-:.,- .. :- --,. ---'"'' Lr Feeney and paut Luebke,

ber district. , ;.'tff,." suit,'said Ms. Winner, an {'disttict into four.pieces. - Pa

. But such large districts smother,, attorney for plaintiffr, .ont.nii .'- And, just as single-member dis' from UNC-Grqensboro's depart'

the state,s urban pockets of black.ithat'the plans should ug relectei triiti inireaseo biick representa' ment of sociolo€y, came up with'

voting strength, critics say. ,because tie state never'-bothereo - tion on the charlotte citi council, the {igures in a study of voting

, A Justice oepartmeni official .lto clear the constitutional provi- iirgiJ:..muer House districts trends in five metropolitan coun'

said the action is orriciaiiy;;;;; 'iion-*itn-Jwii.u-or1i.i"rr-*ii, it . *oita likely increai. ur..r. r.ptu- ties.

in oUlection to the amendhent be- iwas first drawn up in 1967. - ' sentation in Mecklenburg's legis'
cause it is not enforc.;;i;";;;;t jr'wiiin- itre suii'was filed, the iative delegation. In the last state legislative elec'

ffi'X,l!:ri,'H,'.'lxi1",:J3,'* iUlii:liU,'.,,,^jl!fl','i',ff!}: .,.*X,,""'.:*;"',:?;',:'"'X;I:T,'; ii:*lf --i1]#i{,i.friwhat effect the ruling will have.: clearance. But Iv{onday's ruling ';i;it*
on district maps. . struck it down. : elected by a predominantly black
. In 'a lawsuit filed against the witi,oriif,.'provision, the state' ' with single--member districts, district. As it was, however, she

reqently redrawn p[ans, the wou]d presumiuly havi to split at least twd of the House mem' narro*'ly .lost her- bid'. f.inishing

NAACP Legal Defenie-'funa Meckleriburg into eight separate ^bers would be black, according to ninth in the race for ei$ht seats +
yoiced comptaints iLori-the House. diri?iii!, ,n.a 

-rn^iii- 
ur. iiui."r.ttby two Greensboro s-oci' !::tl:"^: strong showing in black' ;-

Chorlolle, Norih Corolino, Tucsdoy, Oci. litgAt

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From Charlotte And The Carolinas. (Ctassifieds, page 12C ) Story or Picture ldea? Call (704) 379-6459

House Speaker Liston Ramsey said
Tuesday it now appears likely that the ,

General Assembly will have a special ses-
sion in Januarl'to redrarv the districts for
the 120 House and 50 Senate seats. The
legislature had a special session in Oc-
tober to revise earlier redistricting plans,

"l don't'knorv rvho's right and u'ho's
wrong on this," Ramsel'said. "l do know, ,

. See U.S. RULES Page llC, Col. I

l,euft[LS" A. Lanu Yiolatess I[.
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Continued from pog, lc '' 'i'

who's the boss. I don,t knorv that
they"re right."

But Leslie Winner, a Charlotte
Iawy'er representing the Legal De-
Iense and Education Fund, said of
the decision: .'They did what we
wanted them to."

Winner believes that rvhile it is
possible to draw single-member
districts in such a rva-i as to hold
dorvn the number of 

-black 
Gen-

era.l. Assembly members, it u,ill bedifficult. There are three black
members of the House and one
bllck member of the Senate... tsecause blacks have been sub- 

"
#:i:i,y?,x"Jj,l1:,;:iJj'lll?1; 

"

.t?:.:i.-l.l{,i ! citie.s, wi n n er said.

.. In a srmijar fashion, Repub-
licans as a minority iraie frjunOttlelr voting strength diluted by
rnclu.sion in large, multimember
dlstricts with heavy Democratic
reg I st ra tion.

. N.C. Republican Chairman Da-
vjd. Flaherty hailed Tuesd.y', a.-
cision, sa,r,ing: ,'I think it- takes
ll'r-u.. their (Democratic legis-
lators') e.\cuse for not goingi to
single-member districts.,'

Asked horv she felt taktng the
fSTg riOu as Republicans on a \.ot_.,
Ing tssues, Lani Guiner, a Wash.
j38t9n .larvyer for the fund, said, ,"lt. reels u'eird.', But she quicklf '

a.d.dgd: "We're very pleased. W"e :
thrnk justice has been done."

The state colld annn,rl thn I,rc-

.. Brock u.as annol'ed at the way
the decision was announcea. Ail
day Ivlonday, Justice Department
of ficials claimed that thc decision
was going to be made in an eve-
n.ing meeting. As Iate as 5 p.m.
they rvere saying no decision'had
been made.

But by midafternoon, Flahertv
was telling reporters he'd been
told of the decision.

Said Brock: ,,I'r.e dealt tvith the
Justice Department for l6 years'
and never had them render their
decision through the state Repub-

Iican chairman." On the other
hand, he added, ma1'be Flaherty
and . other state Republicani
hadn't been told. .,i\Iaybe they're
just bright and guessed," he said. 

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