The 1990 Campaign; Judge Assails G.O.P. Mailing in Carolina News Article from The New York Times
Working File
November 6, 1990

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Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Working Files - Guinier. The 1990 Campaign; Judge Assails G.O.P. Mailing in Carolina News Article from The New York Times, 1990. e6d2b57a-e192-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/e86baede-ab2f-4847-ae0b-1e6a70e5d112/the-1990-campaign-judge-assails-gop-mailing-in-carolina-news-article-from-the-new-york-times. Accessed April 19, 2025.
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GRApHIC: AP Photos-l) Democrat Harvey Gantt speaks to voters in Raleigh, N.C. 2) Jesse Helms bears with the campaign in Charlotte (p 15 C) press ALT-H for Research Software HeIp; Press ESC for the Utilities Menu LEVEL 1 - 38 OF 1.27 STORIES Copyright (c) 1-990 The New York Times Company The New York Ti-mes November 6, 1990, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final SECTION: Section B; Page 9i Co1umn 4i National Desk LENGTHz 97L WOrdS HEADLINE: THE ].990 CAIIIPAIGN; Judge Assails G.O.P. Mailing in Carolina BYLINE: By B. DRUUI{OND AYRES Jr., Special to The New York Times DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 5 BODY: A Federal judge said today in New Jersey that nailings by North Carolina's Republican Party in the final days of the racially tinged Senate.contest appeared to violate a court order he issued eiglt years ago prohibiting the nlluffican National Committee from improperly singling out and intimidating minority voters. press ALT-H for Research Software HeIp; Press ESC for the Utilities Uenu (c) L99O The New York Times, November 5, l-990 But the judge, Dickenson Debevoise of the Federal District Court in Newark, told the complainants, the Democratic National Committee, that he could take no action because the apparent violation did not faII within his jurisdiction. Although the decree applies to all parts of the country, he said there was no concluiive proof that the national Republican party was responsible for the acti-vities in North Carolina. l-50 , O0O Postcards Ehe state Republican Party program involved rnailing l5OrOOO postcards regarding voting regulations, with many of the cards apparently sent to reiidences in hiavily black precincts that are normally Democratic strongholds. Judge Debevoise, who was nominated to the Federal bench in L979 by President tinny Carter, suggrested that the Democratic Party seek 1egaI relief from the ballot program in North Carolina. Democratic officials here bitterly criticized the effort as a desperation political move by Senator Jesse He1ms, a Republican who faces a strong re- election challenge in Tuesday's voting from a black Democrat, Harvey Gantt. press ALT-H for Research Software HeIp; Press ESC for the Utilities Menu LEXTS', NEXtS', LEXIS', NEXTS', LEXTS'tEXrS' Services of Mead Data Central, lnc. .\ (c) 1990 The New York Times, November 6, 7990 National Republican officials also criticized the effort, calling it Itcounterproductive.rr State Republican officals here said they would have no comment on the judge's remarks. U.S. Is Sending Team fn Washington, the Justj-ce Departrnent said today that i-t was sending a team of lawyers to North Carolina to insure that rninority voters were not aisquatified from voting based on information gathered by the state Republican Party. Assistant Attorney ceneral John R. Dunne was quoted by The Associated Press as saying the state party had pledged not to use any information it obtained from posicaras returned. as unclaimed. to challenge the eligibility of voters at the polls on TuesdaY. Democratic officials said there was not enough time before the polls open on Tuesday for a local 1ega1 challenge of the nailing effort. The postcards warned that residency reguirements were strict and vote fraud was punishable by imPrisonment. press ALr-H for Research Software HeIp; Press ESC for the Utilities Menu (c) 1990 The New York Times, November 6, 1990 Black votes are expected to be crucial in the Senate race, which has been marked by considerable raciat polarization and which voter surveys indicate is a toss-up. Blacks account for about 20 percent of the electorate. In the court action today in Newark, Iawyers for the Democratic National Committee sought to reopen a 1-982 case handled by Judge Debevoise in which the Republican Natj-onal Committee pledged that it would not engage in tactics that couta intirnidate Democratic voters anywhere in the country. The case stemmed from a suit in which the New Jersey Repubtican Party also was a defendant. RuIing From New JerseY Race In the L982 case, Democrats contended that a Republican rrballot securityrr task force might have frightened away enough legitimate voters to have infl-uenced the outcome of the 1981 New Jersey grovernor's race, which Thomas H. Kean, the Republican, won by fewer than L,7OO votes over his Democratic opponent, James J. Florio. fn ruling today on the latest Democratic complai-nt, Judge Debevoise criticized the Republican National Committee as failing to do enough to i-nsure that the partyrs efforts to deter voter fraud did not become an effort to intimidate minority voters. press ALT-H for Research Software HeIp; Press ESC for the Utllities Menu (c) 1990 The New York Times, November 6, l-990 And while he went on to say that the North Carolina effort appeared to be a viol-ation of his court order, h€ saj-d he found no conclusive proof that the Republican National Cornmittee could ttbe seen to be involved directly or indirectly in the activity taking pJ-ace in North Carolina.rl LEX'S' NEXIS' LEXTS' NEXTS' LEXIS'^,EX'S' Services of Mead Data Central, lnc.