Letter from Lani Guinier to Prof. Elizabeth Bartholet

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Matter
- Lani Guinier Correspondence
Case
- Lani Guinier Correspondence
U.S. state
- General
Collection
- Legal Department General
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- abc582e6-e392-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873

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Legal Department General, Lani Guinier Correspondence. Letter from Lani Guinier to Prof. Elizabeth Bartholet, 1982. abc582e6-e392-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/e117e6ee-87bd-4f46-a4da-152952044b80/letter-from-lani-guinier-to-prof-elizabeth-bartholet. Accessed November 23, 2025.

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    &esar@renseffi.

August 27, L982

Prof. Elizabeth Bartholet
Harvard Law School
Cambrldge, Massachusetts 02138

Dear Betsy:

r am representing two black women (ages 69 and sz) 1n
Arabama who have been convlcted of votlng fraud. They were
sentenced to foun and flve years ln prison. They had ex-
hausted alr direct appeals when LDF got involved in the
case.

There are a number of very interesting issues in thls
case on which students in the public rnterest Litigation
course may enjoy working. r certainly courd use their
he1p. This ls a case of selective prosecutlon of two ctvllrlghts actlvists who were organizlng the brack communlty in
Plckens county by assisting erderry people to vote absentee.

I need students to work on several constitutional issues(e.9., (1) was the statute charged in the indictment uncon-
stitutionar as appri-ed in right of its chilring effect onthe exercj-se of the right to vote subsequent to the con-viction and sentencing no bl-acks have voted absentee in
Pickens County; (2 ) was the judge,s charge to the jury on
crimes not named in the indictment a violation of defendants'
due process rights even in the absence of objections by
defense counsel- ) . r arso need help in compiring whatever
legislative history is avallable for a I98O Alabama statute
that changed the procedure for voting absentee.

r wourd love to discuss this project with you further.
Please give me a call when you return to Cambridge.

Siy>ereIy,
./

^ lz'',Y(urvt-V\-
Lani Guinier

LG:jj

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was lounded by it and shares its commitment l0 oqual rights. L0F has had lor over 25 years a separate Board, program, stalf, ollics and budget.

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Letter from Lani Guinier to Prof. Elizabeth Bartholet

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