Court Takes Case on Voting Rights News Clipping

    THB NEW YORK TIMBE TUESDAY, APruL-'A Ifi

i COURT TAI(ES CASE

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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.