Brief of Amicus Curiae, The Honorable James G. Martin, Governor of North Carolina, Supporting Appellees

    N,C, Np



No. ttil-1968

Iu urp

Fupruutr (0.uurl uf tllr lluiluil Flulrrr
0crotrnlr tl'nurtI, 198fr

L.l,cv I[. Tttonnruntr, et ul.,

v.

fl,rut'tt ()txol,us, cl. tl.,

Appollurl,s,

,4 ppellees.

oN APPEAI, FBOM TtIF: tlNITllD S'r'A'tlttt lrlaTRloT C()trn'r

FOB TIIE TAB'TDNN I)TETRIOT 0T NOIT'TII CANOI.INA

Motion for Leave to ]'lle llricl Anticttt Curiae

The Ilonornble.Irtrtrtrs (l It{artin, (loverttor of North
Corolinn, hercby rcspecl,frrlly trrov(!8 for lcuve to lile t'hc

attuclred br.ief. nttticus cut.ite ilr [his c[st. 1l'he consettl, of
the attortrey for thc tppellee ltas heett o'lrt'ttilrtrtl. 'flrc con-

sent of lhe nttorttey for the nlrpellatrl, ltas ltectt rcqttested

but refusad.

Thc itrlclest of (lovt't'tror I\lttrt,itt ttt'ist's It'orrt ltis posi-

tion us the chicf cxacutivo 0f the slnle llf North uut'olittu,
antl hencc, ne l,he sorior cltrcl.crl rtprcsurlirtivrr uf lll Nort[
Carolinians.

In the insl.arrt crrse th0 rrltllcllrrrrt nt'l{|lcs tlrrrt lho rcccttt

elcctornl Blecess of solrrr. ntirrolily t:irttrlirlrtlcs trrrtkcx t,lto

I)islrir,l corrr.t,x lirrrlirrgs of l.rreiirl villr' rlilrrlil,rr r:lt,iil'ly
(,rt.ouoous. tl'lte lrritl'rvlrich (l(,\,(tr'uot'll:rllirr is t'r'r;trcstittg

l,o file rrgucs tlrn.t thtr l)istricl ('orrrt,'s lirrrlirrq is clcurly



ll

oorreot and thst perpetuation of Nor[lt Carolins's multi-
member diatrict syatom, particularly in those districts where

ite diocriminatory ellects hove been establinhed, will hinder
hir efforts to open the political procees in North Carolina
to all of its citiz,ens.

Bespectfully submittcd,

Vrmon S. F ntpnn,rx
Fntrn, Fmnx, HrnRrs, Snmvrn

& Jroonson
(A partnerahip which includee

profeesionol corporations)
One New York Plaza
New York, New York
(212) 820-801")0

Counsel for James G.

Cloaeraor of North

August 30, 1985

10004

Morlir,
Carolina

No. 83-1908

Ix rus

Suyruutr Ouurl ut llp lluitpil Stutur
Oororsn Tonu, 1985

Leov It. Trtonnnt,Ro, at rl.,
,lppelltnls,

v.

ll,,rt,r'lr (I tnot,r,R, el. al .,

A ppellecs.

oN APPEAL rROM ltltll tlNl'rl:l) s'rATE"s l)lBTBlc't cotrnT

FOB TItE F,ASTIiRN r)l$TtrloT 0r NollTll o/tll(ll,lNA

BNIEF OF ATII/CTIS CI]RIAE, TIIE TIONOIIATILE

JAnItS G. MAIITIN, GOVllltNOlt oF NOltTtI
CAITOLINA, SUT'POITTING AI'I'I,LLEES

The Ilonornblc .fttmes (1. IUurtin, Oovcrttor of the Stnt'c

of North Carotinn, sttlnrtil,s thihr hricf nnictls e'uriltc itt sup-

port, of tho tleciniotr (,f tha [lnil,erl Stntcs I)int,r'ict Cottrl' for
l.he ltustcr,n l)intrict of Nor.l,h cl|r.olitrn invalitllll,irrg aix of
N9r[lt Curolittt's tttttllilrtcltrlrcr rlisl,l'icts ptt lltc grotttlrl tltnl,

ttrose tlintricts lurrl llrrr cll'rrt:t, ol'rlilrrt.irrg lrluek vol.es irr vio-

latiorr of Sectiolr 2 of lhe Yolirrg Itiglrts Acl c[ 1965.

. Iulcretl oL Anieus Curiae

The clovelrror rvishcs I.(, rrrnke trleirr ttr tlte (forrrl, lhrrl,

lha lrighost ekclr.rl ollir,iill (,f lhe sliltr, ('l' Noi'th (lurolittttr

nrrtl orre witlt exl.r.ltsivr. litttrs'lt'tlgt' ol' lrtl,l cspot'it'ttt't' ill
Nol.th (trrrolilttt Iolilics, rlot's ltol sltttt'r' lltr' r'icrts ol' lllr'
stutc's Ailorrrey (lr.rrcr.,il irs set forlh irr rppellnut's brit'fs



t

2

belore the Court. As a former three-term Meoklenburg
County Commissioner (1966-19721, during which time he

was electcd Commisgion Chairman and served as President
of the Nonth Carolina Associatiort of County Commis-
sioners; a air-term Congressman (19?2-1984) from the
9th Congressional Distriot, encompassing Iredell, Lincoln,
Mecklenburg and part of Yadkin couttties I and, eince hin

olection in November 1984, the Chief Executive Offrccr of
the State, he bclieves that his vicws rvill be of spccial valuc

to the Court.

The Oovcrnor's interest is two-folrl. An a member of e
minority political party in North Carolinn (only the sccontl
Republican governor in this century), he is vell awpro of
the disadvantages North Carolina's mullitnenrber voting
system crcates for ang minority grollp where the majority
group tenrls [o vote on the basis of oriteria other l,han ths

cnrticulor eanrlidote's morits. Ae {,he representativo of all
o.,.tho pcople of the State, he is kecrrly awrre of the need

t6 eliminate ns quickly as practicable thc vestiges of past

discriminntiou and to bring into the political life of the

State all of its citizens without maintoining or erecting
artificial bnrriers to full partioipetion of any group. To
ths ertcnt that multimamber districts create such barriers,
and the Oovemor agroeo fully with thc District Court that
in the districts of isnue (if not the enl,ire State) they do'

l,hey shorrld be stricken down.

Argumenl

'IVe eschcw the opportunity to cntcr the dcbate over
whether the "clearly crroneous" atnndard govcrrrs thic

Courtte review becauao of ths Oovernor's vierv that, far
from "cteorly erroneous", tho District Court's ensolttial

findinga wero cloorty corrcrct. Thero enn be little qrrcstion

thnt multimember rlistricts in North Carolina tlilute the

clTcct of lrtuck votes wherever there ore smllller iDelutlcrl

3

districts rvith cloar black nrtjorit,ics. 'l'he eloctiott of somo

blacke to the State legislature docs not detrnct frorn the
eimple, bul obviorrn, trutlt thnt, nlthough in some circum-
stancea [he artilicitl bnrricr of tttultinrcnrber districts calr

be overcome, the llnrt'ier surcly exisl,s.

As the recortl lrclorv trnply delnottstrntes, NorCh Caro-
lina's mull,interttber disl,ricts creato ndditional tlilliculties
for blacks seekiug to ptrticipnte fully in the S[ato's political
process. 'fha significantly higlrer cost of carnpnigning itr thc
larger multimembcr tlistricts (Pl.Ex. 20; ti. 130-31' 133)'
coupled with tho grentcr rlilliculty blaok candidntes fuce

in roising carnpnign funtls (R,. 437, 443, 468), nct as furl,her
deterrents on black cautlidncien. Thus, the eignillcant eco-

nomio dinparity betrveett whitcs arrd blacks in tho Stnte
exacerbatea the discriminatory impact of multirnernber dis-
tricting.

This administrntion is cornrni[tcd to operrirrg thc politicnl
proceas to all Norl,h Caroliniatta. fn nrokirrg nppointnrcnts
to Stato Boards and Commissions, the Clovertror is seeking

to attract qualilied citizens regardless of rnce, age, 8cx'
politioal porty or geography. IIe has already rnade, atrd

will continue to makc, aignificont progress in broadenirrg

tho base from which these executive appointnrents are mntle.

Such progrcas nocessarily will be of limitctl itttpact, ltorv-

ever, if the Stote tegislature (with its tttttlsunl powern)'
continues [o be ehosen lty n proccse which is, nftor oll, thc

remnaut of an earlier tirne when the goverlllllclll, in Norl,h

Carolina wts conductcd solely by white ntale l)cmocrats.
Black oitizcng of North cnrolinn, hccarrse 0f thcir econonrio

disadvantage, feol the tliscrimiuntory ittt;tnct of rnrtlti-

menrbor districting cvcn moro tharr other rniuoril,icn iu thc

politicnl proco88. The Oourt in thrtn lespr:r'lftrlly ttt'gerl l,rr

.triko rlown this nDnctrrorrinl,ic nysl0nr nl lt.nst. irr llrone rlin-

'North Carolirro is the olrly atRte wlrore

earr ettnet leginlntion ; l.here is no proviairltr
veto.

lhe lr.gislrrlrrrt ttlotte
for arry guberrrnlorinl



triob rhero the Dirtrht Oourt found ample proof ol ita
dinrinineSory imPaot

Goncludon

fhe iudgmor* of tbe Diatriot Oourt rhould bo aftrmed'

BespeotfullY oubmitted'

Ifont \f,. Bumuel, Jr Ytmor 8. Fruornr' 
-

Bonxor, Brlnnrl I lturrcx, Fnro, fLrxx, Ilelru' Enrrvn
P.A. I Jemrr

lgfi) Indcpcndcncc ccntar (A prrtnerfiIp lhich Includcr

Cf,."fofr.r-X.C.Wm prolclionrl oorpon3ionr)

Tclcphoni: (lo/) nl'Wrl Onc New Yort Plrg
Ncr Yorl, N.Y. fm)l
fdcPlrom: (zfg) 8r!0{)60

Oornd for Arlbu Ctrilu
Jolrl G.Ilr:lisr0oocsrrlr ol
Norl\ C*ollrc

t0orrul oI Booord