Correspondence from Edwards to Chambers; Voting Rights Act Upheld, Decision Hailed News Release from Congressman Don Edwards

Correspondence
June 30, 1986 - July 14, 1986

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Correspondence from Edwards to Chambers; Voting Rights Act Upheld, Decision Hailed News Release from Congressman Don Edwards preview

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LDF Attorneys
Cooperating Attorney
- Leslie J. Winner
Organization
- NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund, Inc.
Matter
- Gingles
Case
- Thornburg v. Gingles
U.S. state
- North Carolina
Collection
- Case Files
Taxonomy
Identifier
- ec16a552-dd92-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873

Cite this item

Case Files, Thornburg v. Gingles Working Files - Guinier. Correspondence from Edwards to Chambers; Voting Rights Act Upheld, Decision Hailed News Release from Congressman Don Edwards, 1986. ec16a552-dd92-ee11-be37-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/fe708d18-671a-43dd-9116-0ed6bbf46fae/correspondence-from-edwards-to-chambers-voting-rights-act-upheld-decision-hailed-news-release-from-congressman-don-edwards. Accessed April 06, 2025.

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    IDON ED'flARDS
',O?x DrStlict, C^Lrroiila

COMMITTEE ON
JUDICIARY

CHAIBMAN
SUBCOMMITTEE ON

crvtL At{D
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

COMMITTEE ON
VETERANS' AFFAIRS

€ongueit of tbe @;nite! Statts
Asuge of Sepregentatibcd

tlasringlon, DG 20515

July 14, 1986

Mr. Julius L. Chambers
Di rector -Counsel
Legal Defense Fund
99 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10013

Dear Julius:
Thanks so much for sharing with me a copy of the Supreme Court
decision in Thornburg v. Gingles. Like Iou, I was delighted
with this de 1982 Votin! Rights Act.

I thought you night be interested in the statement I released
on the day the decision was released, and have enclosed a copy
for your reference.

Itrs nice to win one for a change!

Sincerely,

Don Edwards
Member of Congress

DE: rh

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DItTtrCT OFFICES:

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2!O Soun Flitr srrEEr

Eum 372
Sai Jor:. CA 85 I t 3

(.o8) 2924r.3
3E760 PatEo PADiE PArrwaY

Fr:roir, CA 3tll3t
(atEl 792-5320



EDWDS
San Jose.Milpitas .Fremont. Newark .flnion City

FoR rnMEDrArn nernase r rr(s/o, NEWS REt EAig."".,
2307 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

IvOTING RIGHTS ACT UPHELD, DECISION HAILED

Todayrs Supreme Court decision upholding the L982 amendments to the

Voting Rights Act was praised by the chairman of the House Subcommittee on

CiviI and Constitutional Rights.
rThe decision is a great victory for all Americans, again affirming the

fundamental right to voter' said Don Edwards (D-Calif.).

The court, in Thornburg v. Gingles, upheld the heart of the L982

amendments to the Voting Rights Act. Section 2 of the Act was amended to

prohibit electoral practices that result in discrimination. 9!-ry]es.,

dealing with legislative redistricting in North Carolina, presented the

Supreme Court with its first opportunity to review the 1982 amendments to

the Act.

"The legislative intent of the L982 amendments is clear in order to
f ind a Section 2 violation, cou.rts must -consider the rtotality of the

circumstancesrr not just whether minority candidates have achieved some

degree of electoral successr' said Edwards.

The Justice Department argued that recent minority electoral success

precluded a violation of Section 2.

'The Courtrs decision is another blow to the Reagan Administration's
attempts to scale back our Nationrs civil rights protectionsr" Edwards said.

"Voting rights cases are complex, and the discrimination involved is
often quite subtler" said Edwards. 'We recognized this when Congress

amended and strengthened the Act in 1982, and instructed the courts to
,:^:: lier aII of circiinisi-re,rc€s irrvt-riv,ri.-

Edwards and a bipartisan coalition of Voting Rights Act co-sponsors,

including Senate Majority Leader Robert DoIe and Congressman James

Sensenbrenner, filed an amicus brief with the Court, urging it to uphold the

decision of the North Carolina federal court.

Stuart Ishimaru
(202\ 226-7580

86-31

#*t

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Correspondence from Edwards to Chambers; Voting Rights Act Upheld, Decision Hailed News Release from Congressman Don Edwards

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U.S. state

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