Legal Research on Prepared Testimony of Norman Dorsen

    f)r,^''
So-n^1

The court .eld thet il could "perceive a ba.eis" for congrees believing. that (l) the

lit"ir"V Gt ,iotrt-t 
"qrri 

piot[tion., even -th.ugh 
thp Courl itsclf might not reach

t'f,"i1,i".ir.t,,n, 
"na 

,Zl'ttrufLiimin"tion of New York's l]nsl.ish literacv test might

i*,iri-i. 
-i",,o"ing 

othe. ;olations of equal protecti,n against citizens of Puertn

hi"r, ".i*i, 
, Foi'exampt", Ui gi"ing Puerto'Ricans the opportunitl'. to vote, die-

iirfrr.iiriri "grin"i 
6r",r-lir.*"p*t"to rarioue public servicee misht be emeliornt-

ed.' ihe court. in Morgan announced a very erpan8ive view of c;ongre.rs'enforcement
*;;;. Th;,;p..".ii*r-Ur"ie; "t"ndurd 

is the moat deferential atlitude townrd con-

Hllii"ri'L.i"i"ii"", &p".irllv ir tne lesialation cnn he directed at correctins die-

&iffi;ijili;;';;;';t-1i[fliiari voting Under this visv, 56ended cection.2. could be

;;i;;ld,;;;, if it did not'r."pond io f,rior or threatenod conntiiutional violntione of

;5;iil';;hi;,"ii-*ourd ue rirricient'if the prohibition of olectoral practices that

I#iiii ri'trJiii.ii"t-i", i;p*r; ihe plight of minorities ever.wvhere that have suf-

iJiJ-iii*.irin.tion in J,l.ution. hoirsiirg, law- enforcement, or -emplo,nent See'

")--r>-i"" v. Mitchelt. noO U.S. 112 (19?0) (upholding nationwide bll gI liter.acy

ii.t.-i"-oa.r. because minoritiee that have been victima of pu.rposplul dlscrlmlnn-
;#l;'J;;"li;;-i;;;; parts of the counrry have migrated-throughout the coun-

ffi. il.;;i;;f,,* "ititi.rcy 
teets has unnvoidahle' even if uninlcntionul. "ffect

of digcrimination)."'d;'S;;;;;e Cou* also har upheld Congress' power' i".ln1t-tlnq.lttl-a1l:
Ci"it-nicfit" statute., to impoee more exacting requirements than thP mlnrmum
#;;;fi;;,,;t"ii"a'i" ttr"-ibnatitution, and to prohibit practicet thnt may not yio**"-t. ,;iid;t"..'hll;orgt ih" Conatitution requiret prmf of purposeful die-

['*$*l,r'"##*]f *rt'"#offi tr,,ff ;'lnr."ii-""""1"i[xT6t'1fi :l

ffiffi:-;#;#:::::: N
Juetice Rehnquist dies€nt€d in c\!y of Ronyc, arguing- that the majority hrd iu 

-

"ff*i 
f,"la that'Cong:ress had the p.i*el t, delcrm-ine for itself wha[ violater the 

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Fiftcenth Amendmenl. 446 U.S. at 210-ll, 219-20 Gehnqurst .l.,disenting). Judice 

-

Rehnquist acknowledged that c,ongeee can paint-with a broad bruah to prevent pur- 

-

Giu'l aiscriminarion and rhat piggticee *ith diec.i-inatory- effects may' crea-tc q 

-

irsk of purpo€eful discrimination. However, he quetioned ho*'Rome's challenged E
practice--which had been proven to E fig" of purpceful diecrim_ination-T....Fd lE
;;;;;k 

"ip"iiGfriaiscrimlnation. 
Justic€ Hailari's dissent. in-Morgan rained.the E

eame ultimatc'concern. k Katzenfuch v' Morga4 euprw 3M U'S' at 668-(Harlan' E

*;,ll.rilH#il[Sfii*i"?,*#:f*t',;L'I:I';ffiJf-*H"1['"','i"# E
'nffi"fJilfJffit?il the pmition crearry articuratcd by Juetic€ Rehnquist, rhe mqior- 

-
Ity ln Utt-y ol flome uPnelq \rngT€ss-lruwet w ProYsrr Errwtar.Lrrar 

-

criminatory ettectS whether or not [ney were enacleo wltn a qrrcTlmrtruwrJ Pur- Eiul': m*t*l*lut;:';it* l,*:""fi'r;"11*:,f*1t*,r-*.Tl: E
.rrint. c'inim#. or the (Lurt was followinc the lonical implication of ConSreos' broad 

rydnrorcement power. Although the c.ourt-did not explicitly indicate which theory.of l-
ii,rir*iirii"r i";;r i; ;;;J"ptini, it rpp."o tr,-Ji-tr" C"urt did not tiew it8 h-old- Itil
ing to imply that Congr; _h;-d;-[ir_ p";"; to detcnnine what is a substantive viola- t!ffit'T;:ilfut*ffi:ffilflit""1';*.,"" 

upherd in citv.of.Ro1u, prohibita erection ffi{
practicer that have discriminat6ry effects iven if it could be shown that thev were El-t
not enacted with discrimill;;Uilffi fiii;or*'. rationale i.!ty-of n;-",-fq Ni:
pii* *rit &ral force to validaie Ln iffects standard for eection 2. The C,rrurt apptierl I]UI
l'.ationat bisis t€st i" aly'iinoi, *t i"h i" the same etandard of revier*' the Cnuri EVil
,."a t" uphold the preclearince requirement, the.eection.5 c9v.erag9 formula, rnd F if
tfru U", o'n lrt.r"y ,*ti i. .Srrtl, eirttma and Morgan. A_pplying-ihat deferentiai Et !f
standard of review, the Court uphetd the 

"n*t"- 
Gi-rna'"'r-t*tio" ; i"'Ciir"ii -lfl:l

rBome, because (angreae ."tionrifi 
"o"ld 

concludi fi;; tilp-hilit a ptt.ti*-".."' EI$I
ated the riek of purpoJrii'iirilri;itr"rr..;;;d C"ngTess trai ttre po*ei to prrevent. mIrl-^-:-r- tDilI-G t^" * Nrchoh, 1r4 U.S. b6g, 5G?-69 rlyl{).-the Supreme Court.held. thrt Title !-I, ,l; flEq
U S C lzfixld, rupplemenred by adminrntrative ."grf"tio"q i,rohiUii.- ""tion" 

trartt,g-jirtimina' E: 

-
torv effect even though the C-onf,titutton prchlbltx onty rntcntlonal olrnmrnalron. n-mruurrtv - EI
fi;.il;;i;;;;h"e i;;16-;;t# in i-,,, in flegentr of the univerritv'of calirbmia ' !I
Bokke, 4s8 U.S. 26t-r,rsza,,'U;'ffiii"s ih;,r ftti; I'iii "*itl""i*-*ttr ttre Bquat Pmtac'"ion I-
Clau*. However, the lrottP oplnlonr werc 06*0 on lne oncrulron Lrruu-wtr.,.- I1f
i""o.po."u itre conatlrtiJiaiitiiili'i'.t"Tri"-vr;'il"i["-hii- ""i-i,"a".t 

I"" *,"'p.t*ipii JNaaD

Tqlf.*''H#t?**glma:'foi"dffiil:ffiffifi:Si';'ni.x'5i"T;"ndedtoca-rv tifiE
"$/if,I J'ul[ii"o Jr"iiu rru.t".nth Amendment,.p-],ibit"'e-;i.6;; p.a"ti-""c tt'"t t"r" i '!"r!
dirriminatorv effect: abaenct ol rnt4nl t0 drrnmlnatf ." no oelen*,; @E Arrmlt .r-
ffi;.'iii;ff,; {z'r'iiSlib.4,-lz', iriisi c""gt"* rcted mm.mnt to cection 5 of th" Fmrteenth 7!E
A;";d;;;C i" 

'extendins 
hil-J vff L iti,tf i.i to""l '"g"n.ie. Fitzpatrick. v. Bit er, {Z? U.S - ,;Eg

,lif$f,'H'ff'*"':r*l \ 4"'t ru
:i,qfiril,ffi#*d*#*i'fr ro

criminatlon D not. eentlat t0 mcovery tn " fra," "1, oc"ron tsErntt a 8uv=ffimtire.t6:ln!r' E
ir". ,rrrti" v'II *ae "n";.d-prr""*f 

m Fourtrnth Amcndmcit Porer-alone..Althou8hlac.L E
ii di"i-riiit"t"i i.,"tiiiit".-i"ii.i*una"?nti" trl, -ttt" 

"-ptor.t 
can rebut.a.pr.ma facie 

-

showinS of diccriminarion by rhoring rlt thst *lectio;;;.i-i;F*lat"a-' ,Zi biueinc ne 

-

ctaityi (g) a bona fide occu*t;nat qialificotion, o, ,lr 
" 

-toi" FA;;i;;;;i' ". iteat tl,ti,* .3t #iw)*&stt1f#feftirf'kfatiklfffiffi?fr"H,'lll?i.*.,*r',e)(inerisib,itvror IEr.,l
;1sil,li16xmt*:*{t.x**xt*Cl:[##SJ*}ifffi,[?'?,''L#r; ffii
not accept the'view that Congren could define the rop

_=_ff*-ffi-rlr'w;fl.Afr

? section 4ro) wa! rponrored in the senatc by senatorr. Javita nnd Kennr<l\'- and in the Hour

^irLr -h,{ p'il-'"rt'""i'r.t"*'V;tii. i.; ihe pxolicit purp.xe 6f relnnding to t'he
by ffiii:L;l;Erillfi'fri-[";".';ri;i N;*'Vo'ii. i"i*"1'pt"".#i"fr,:tlffm1lf"ti;f
g iliUlr''*t'tx il #-'t",. 

'[,1t]-rntJli'll,-all,r-rt,-J*,s* n,q],hll;i*ilk-lt1"*:r;yri..iH ii#-i:",Hr[':tB,r8,i]ifiilrrl,il[IiI'fiill-'ftilf;illirliixfiS; iiiC.;i Rac.'11028, ll0C0-Z,1, l5e6,l,-162t{2-83, 19192-2(}l: te? of,qo votrns NtBnta' rrearrnxts

ilIior" 
'Sii",i-rnlit* N": i of the itoum Cnmmittd' on the Jridicinrv on H R 6400' 89th (bns 

'
id c- ror,.or ,r2o-21- 508-l? (1965).in.S.-., l(r' 01,,120-21, 508-l? (1965r"';.**ciiy ,,f''Rohe ; 1r.it"a' .sj"t"1, rupm lriftaenrh,fp"l9.f,llli,v,l.tFTi,l',1**l'"'".trtri; ,;i'R";;;.'ii.i't a'-si"t-, rupm {Fiftaenlh Amendment);. Village of Arlinrtor

xF"-:rri*Fi'ql,T:,#Lru',ll;li,l.+;i:o0,,fl,H;*;,11' 'rr3??) 'lFou't*nth 
Ampnd

,.'Metromlitan Houring Development Corp', 129 Ll'S 252
ir,. i"i"'ii"'Jt. ;;i; Bctioni did not viblatc the Equalffi f,#iffii $,H+iEr:'*iru*tll'.t Htr$ffi;i'# EiJill;=##; ii'il"ri'ir al*il'lnnt"'v i:rlcnt flowever' recospizing that c'onrreae

r*rr#f it,"r*Hilt'#f ;l[lt*'lnf ,lill;#tg"t',Lln::f{1i'!'{'ir?'"f*[;;drJih; d;-i;; ; diGrm i n a ti o n * h oth e r-i hi V i I I age'r .co^nduct. vi ol att

iil17U.'Si:l.ceoi &. 
".q.. 

O. r1n1nd. the Seventh (lircuit }eld,that n tviolation of the Fair
Act 42 U.S.t $;Jbul el. aeQ un rernanq! LIre '-verrrlr --'- " ""'-"-- -

Imr* *: "rifl rmll"w*l;;r,l,ll.",riil#,l'

1rut5\\ -l t