Correspondence from Winner to Spaniol
Correspondence
August 30, 1985

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Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Hardbacks, Briefs, and Trial Transcript. Correspondence from Winner to Judges Phillips, Dupree, and Britt, 1984. aef51fd3-d592-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/857793c4-c6ef-45da-aaed-c44222f90d6e/correspondence-from-winner-to-judges-phillips-dupree-and-britt. Accessed April 06, 2025.
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o FERGUSON, WATT, WALLAS & ADKINS, P.A. ATTORNEYS AT LAW SUITE 730 EAST INOEPENDENCE PLAZA 95I SOUTH INDEPENDENCE BOULEVARO CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28202 TELEPHONE (704) 375-846 IJAMES E. FERGUSON. II MELVIN L, WATT JONATHAN WALLAS KARL ADKINS YVONNE MIMS EVANS JOHN W GRESHAM LESLIE J. WINNER JOHN T, NOCKLEBY GERALOINE SUMTER FRANK E, EMORY JR, THOMAS M, STERN October 8, 1984 Re: Gingles, €t al. v. Edmisten, €t a1.No.81-803-CIV-5 The Honorable J. Dickson phillips Circuit Judge, Fourth Circuit Post Office Box 3617 Durham, North Carolina 27702 The Honorable F. T. Dupree, Jr. United States . District- Judge Federal Building 310 New Bern Avenue Raleigh, North Carolina 27611 The Honorable W. Earl Britt United States District Judge Federal Building 310 New Bern Av6nue Raleigh, North Carolina 2761t Dear Judge Phi11ips, Judge Dupree and Judge Britt: This letter is to inform you that the cite to Cook v. Luckett, whichiscitedindefendants'1Ltestmemorana,*-"J""ffii:i..i. 2d 912 (5rh cir. 19g4). Now rhat r ta"e been;ti;-to.e"a ir, ir ap-Pears to me that neither defendants I characterization of the case norour characterization is preci".iy-.""rri.t". Plaintiffs submit that cook v. Luckett does not suggest that thiscourt should not order ffiai this timel"-rn cook, inrePsonse to a finding of a one-per-son one-vote violationl-ffie a"r.rr-dant- county submittei a singte-ir&b;; dirtri.t plan which had been ?I":l:.red pursuar_rt ro $5 oi rhe Voiing nighis I"t"U"t which had a1-9: b percent population deviation. ThEre was no claim of racialdilution" The District court, findins_ ir,g 10.B-p;;I!r,. populationdeviarion ro be -rrnaccgprable;'";pl;-tEri"ii"i;;J;;;=rhar plan and.adopted plaintiffs' plan. The c"ilii-oi'Rppeat- held rhar rhe Dis-trict Court should have nade the necessary minor modifications todefendants' olan and should have ;;J;;;a an elecrion under defendanrs,plan as modiiied by the Co,r.t. The Honorable J. The Honorabl-e F. The Honorable I,I. October 8, 1984 Page 2 Dickson Phillips T. Dupree, Jr. Earl Britt That case is distinggishable for several reasons. The two most ob-vious are that, in Erris case,, defendana;'-p1;-""itt,L= uses single-member disrricrs nor has ir 6gg" pr""i."r"d t;;;."t-to s5. Thecourt in cook-v. Luckett specific'atiy-ieiterited itre ourigat1o;-of aDistrict@a.singie:*"fil.iai'iii"t-pi.".735F.2d,at ?18' , Fina1ly, there- is no e-"s! modification to deienaants' proposalto make it 1egal. Because the-Attofnet ceneral ouj""t.a to defen-dants' proposal-, in part based on-th;-Lonriguiarioi-or its single-mem-ber district,.that single-member aisirict cannot be used as the basisof this Courtrs p1an. -Ev9n under the-iationale of Cook v. LuckettthisCourtmuststartwithadiiiei.',t-;i;;1;:;.*i.ffi must divide the remaining three-member ai"i=i"i-i;;; si.ngle-memberdistricts. Fina1ly, Cook v. Luckett dogs not suggest that this Court must givedefendant@rrnitytoa#i;;aproposedremedy.Rather the court in cook said the Diitricr-couit rirorria-t"""-;;i.L"r"i"iT-the coun!y'" lll?Eners to rheir drawin! board or itseir amendled] rhecounty plans sufficiently to achieve in .accept"ui.-pop"i"iio"-"d".r-ity. amopg thg districts.i' 735 F.2d-"i--grg. 'rha-coirit furrher sug-gests that, in order to enable an election to be heia, it is appropri-ate for the District Court to^impos.-i"-interim plan giving defen-dants the opportr:nity to ."u*it -!-rrJr*fr"" after rhe erection. Having now had the opportunity- to read cook v. Luckett, plaintiffsreiteratetheir.'equLstthattr'i"c."itffiofsing1e-member districts in wilson,-Edgecomb and Nash cor:nties which will allow anelecrion to proceed'1egi11y in 19g4 Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Sincerely, 4tuu tV{i" t. h)r*"*r Winner IJW: eh cc: Mr. Rich Leonard Mr. Jim I^/a11ace Ms. Katherine MCGuan Mr. Robert Hunter Ms. Lani Guinier