City of Boerne, Texas v. P.F. Flores, Archbishop of San Antonio Brief Amicus Curiae of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Support of Respondents

    THB NEW YORK TIMBE TUESDAY, APruL-'A Ifi

i COURT TAI(ES CASE

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c.ro*, ,,** ,nvolves

il Proving Bias in Districting
, ----------_-
f ByLINDAGREENHousE
l, SddrotbNGtYatrE
L wesnncToN, AprU 20 - The $r"
L preme Caut 8et tbe stage today lor tbc
I-tlgt maior lcgd test ol tbe ameoded
I vodtu liiShts Act, wtich Congross ra
i rrce tnree years agp to male lt casler

I to p,rotre utringeoeots of the rlt[t to
l:v0te.
r .' At tteurgins ol the Reagan Admtnis-
p tradm, eaii orrer the obJectlon of tbe
i'xeeCp Legal Deleose and Educa-
i Uonat Fund, tbe Cort agreed to h€ar
p. an appeal by the Stste ol North Caro
F-fine from a trnding rhet a lffil r€dis-
I trictiry plan violated the m lar.
I et Esue in the appeal ls how the
I cqrrts shorld tnterPret tbe cctttrsl
i command of the ameoded law: tlat a
I ,oAng procedure 'tytlch rgults ln 8
I deoialorabridgmeotoltbe riSbtolsny
I ddr€o of the Untted Stat6 to vse qt
I accont of race or @lor" B flegal.
; Cmgress sdqted rhlr lssgusge ln
I or*r to s\rernrle e Supreme Cort
I Oedsio that lnterpretcd tbe orlgloal
i trc vodng Rlgtts Act ts r€quirtDg
k oruf of lnteoti@ldtscrtDtnadG. Itis
I i",rcn more difficult to pn ve di$rini-
L netory int€ot rhen to ldeodty a dls-
i' crinlnato,ry rcsult. Pr€std€ot RGagaD
I trrsmeA tIe effort to aneod the law,
i Uut eventuaUy acquiesced ln the leceo(
|: Uipanisan poUtical Pressrure.
pr:

k Dlspute on Sevoo ltl$rlct
?' s special thr€e'iudgp Federal Dis-
Ei trtcr Corrt ln Norti Carcllna ruled llst
f -'vear \-t the state violated tbe law ln
! ih€ lim drawn lor ureo state leSisls-
L-.Otre districb in respose to th lm
[' ceosus. Tbe court sald the redistrtcring
I aUwea Oe vcing strrngtl ol the blsct
Lr . p@ulatim becalrse, whlle lt sutld
F" f,rve been feaslble to dras rome dis.
t' tricts ritU sizable blact maJorldes, all
tr' hlt ore of the challenged dlstrlctt hld
I -- rrtlte maiorideg.

i^- ioters, raylng lnstead that tn llSht of
; the area'g Dtstory and of the reluctance
f-. of wtrlt€s to vote tor black candldates,
i cbanges were rcqulred ln order to glve

The District Court specitlcally dtsa-
r .. vowed an lot€odm to, .. vowed an lnt€ouql to Susnntee "pfi>
i - porttqral rtprtsentatlon" to black

equal to their proportton ln
!'tte poputaulo."
i, After receiving tlle state's appeal
ll,ast fall, the Stpreme Court asked the
p Jnstice Departmeot for lts views of the
i case. ln lts briet filed earlier thls
i.. month, the departmmt infuriated ctvll
t- risbts larrygs by argsing that Oe
t- lwer court's lnterpretatim ol tbe Vot-
d lng Rigtts Act was "fiurdameotally
r. [awed."
i' Tbe brief satd thst despite &e Dls-

trict Cqut's disevowal of a propor-
6 dmal reprcccotatiur standafd, the
rdeclstoo ln tact lncorporated guch a
estaDdard by lSnoriqg the "slglllllcait
i electoral EuGs" tbat black candi-
idstes bad achieved ln the challenged

distrtcts. Thc department lald that lD
Ove districta, rhlch elect a t,fal ol 2
state legislators, tlve Dlacts had bc€o
elected in recat electioos. Tbe only er-
plamtim lor tbe District Cort's dlsap
proval of tb€se dlstricts, the depart-
ment said, was tlat th€ cqlrt Grrorre

'i/*, Ju., t'. t, , /, ,

, ,-/, ,:yl',!t '

' orsly believed ln "guaranteed electoral
suooess b prqordon to tbe blac.L per-
o€ota8e of tbe populadon."

. Ss Tcrood Uodcai
I "Mlmrlty.wters$enortShttotte
, creadqr ol sste clectoral distdcts
r merely becar.rse the], could feastbly be
; drawn " tbe brief 88id.
' ln regprhs€ tbe NAACP lrSsl De
tense and Fxfucational F\md, rtPru

,?eeoting tle blq pl8!nd!fs, 3qd !ry

i tonil ana radd htstory ol the area, ln
I which tbe r€c8ot, and modegt, black
i.succ€Es was mly cre factor to be cm-
f aidercd. Slxteeo members of the lil.
i memUer LegislEture are black, tess
[. ttan tO perceot ln a state wlttr at2pt-
F ceat blact PoPuladtn.
! e grqrp of North Camllns Rqn$U'
I qgc-flred a Pnqil^8u^p?qr g-f qel!4g

DlstdA Court bad ir@erty ducted
e "pend$ating hguir5/" lnto tle elec-

i ufis, Oargrng tbt tbe Gorrernt
I bri€f was 'tmrnd 8d lncotrsl
[]:ana was Uasca o a rcslded Prt
!'dm ol tbe cvtd€oce.
I - h"t Gri"t;;G bryer rorthe legal
i-uaease ltrDd xto hanrlled the case,
i caia toOay ttat ln h vier, the Reag3n
E edmtnlstraum had "seized thls case
I as rn moramlty to try to persusde tb€
B Supreoe Court to 8ut tbe Vodng RtSDtl
l Act." Sbe said lt ras the 6rgt tlme ln a
tffi;,8-ri8[t":;-E Jtte Justice r
I prtmeoiUaC "qeoly dlgned ltsell
l'.tte Srprqoe Court wlth a turlsdlcti
I lodDve lorcrcourt tobeadiscrir
lnetor.'-7 a-^--^ +-L.4- aa--t- tI ttecar,lto,rnUrrgtv. Glngles,I'$o.

irfo-tfoa' dl bellBEd Et tall.