2012

Featured Entries

Allison Riggs Takes Lead Challenging Redistricting Plans that Would Hurt Minority Voters in Florida

SCSJ staff attorney, Allison Riggs is taking the lead representing the Florida NAACP in a heated redistricting battle over senate districts 9 (Duval County) and 31 (Broward County). Earlier this year the state Supreme Court invalidated the first redrawn senate plan and the senate was forced to try again. Now that the new plans have been proposed, Riggs and her co-counsel are arguing that the plans diminish the ability of African Americans in those districts to elect candidates of their choice and are in violation to the state’s constitutional amendment to protect minority voting rights. Riggs says, “Our issue is that we are arguing that they really haven’t looked at racially polarized voting. They have looked at some election data but it is not sufficient. We are going to argue in front of the Florida Supreme Court that no one is taking into proper account what is necessary for black voters or any voters of color.”

SCSJ Staff and Board Members Present at Duke Symposium, "Realizing Criminal Justice Reform Together"

Duke University is hosting its first inaugural symposium on criminal justice issues: “Realizing Criminal Justice Reform Together”. SCSJ staff attorney, Daryl Atkinson, and board member, Geeta Kapur, will be presenting as panelists. The event will cover critical criminal justice issues including school to prison pipeline issues, re-entry, and preventing and rectifying wrongful convictions. To learn more about this symposium or to register visit: http://sites.duke.edu/criminaljusticesymposium/.

SCSJ Ensures Equal Representation on Guilford County Board of Commissioners

SCSJ Ensures Equal Representation on Guilford County Board of Commissioners On February 7, 2012, SCSJ filed suit on behalf of the NAACP-Greensboro Branch and individual Guilford County voters to ensure equal representation on their county Board of Commissioners. SCSJ’s Complaint alleged the General Assembly’s Guilford County redistricting plan left thousands of residents without a county commissioners, while others received disproportionately large representation. United States Middle District of North Carolina Judge William L. Osteen granted Plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction finding the legislation in question caused “unequal representation on the Board of Commissioners… violating… residents’ equal protection rights” in his March 14, 2012 Judge Osteen changed the election schedule to ensure equal representation on the Board, and SCSJ continues to work to rectify further anomalies found in the redistricting plan. Memorandum Opinion is attached.

SCSJ conducts Wills Clinic in Edgecombe County

SCSJ conducted its sixth wills’ clinic in Tarboro, North Carolina, on February 18-19. These wills’ clinics are part of SCSJ’s efforts to prevent heirs’ property passing without a will, a leading cause of family land loss in the South. During the most recent clinic, 20 Edgecombe County residents had 74 end of life documents made free of charge. This was the most individuals ever participating in an SCSJ wills’ clinic as well as the most documents produced. Coordinating partner and Edgecombe County Extension Service Community Rural Development Agent Jamilla Hawkins says, “This clinic is invaluable to our county. I am delighted to see so many people take advantage of this service.” Many thanks to everyone who made the service possible: SCSJ staff attorney Chris Brook, the office of the Edgecombe County Agricultural Extension, and the nine law student volunteers from Carolina and Campbell Law who interviewed clients and assisted with end of life document drafting.

NC Immigrant Community Panel Discussion

Staff attorney Chris Brook spoke at Carolina Law on February 21, detailing SCSJ and the Carrboro community’s successful 2011 effort to repeal the town’s unconstitutional anti-loitering law and how it represented the capacity of the North Carolina immigrant community to overcome the challenges it faces. The panel discussion, entitled “The Street Corner Next Door,” was sponsored by the Immigration Law Association and the National Lawyers Guild and also featured representatives from the North Carolina DREAM Team, the UNC Center for Civil Rights, the North Carolina Immigrants Rights Project, and the ACLU of North Carolina. Brook highlighted how the ordinance applied only to the Carrboro street corner frequented by predominantly Latino day laborer, making it more difficult for them to find employment as well as infringing upon their First Amendment rights. The panelist agreed immigrants faced an inhospitable climate through the nation as well as within North Carolina currently, but held out the Carrboro example, among others, as demonstrating the power of community-drive efforts.

Statewide Redistricting Lawsuits in NC will go forward

On February 6, the three judge panel ruled that the statewide redistricting lawsuits in North Carolina will go forward. The judges’ denied in part the State’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit SCSJ filed on behalf of the North Carolina NAACP, Democracy NC, the League of Women Voters, NC A. Philip Randolph Institute and 44 individual voters. The judges also refused to dismiss the redistricting lawsuit brought by Democratic officials and voters. Although the judges’ dismissed some of the plaintiffs’ claims, the case will proceed on the majority of the claims including claims that State House, State Senate and Congressional plans draw racially gerrymandered districts, divide too many counties and split an excessive number of precincts. The judges’ ruling allows claims to go forward against every district challenged by the plaintiffs including Congressional Districts 1, 4, 10 and 12. As the lawsuits move through the courts, SCSJ and the plaintiff organizations are working to minimize voter confusion and problems that may arise during the May primaries.

Three judge panel in NC refused to dismiss the statewide redistricting case, NC NAACP v. NC

RALEIGH -- A pair of lawsuits challenging North Carolina's new Republican-penned boundaries for congressional and legislative seats can move forward, a three-judge panel said Monday. The Superior Court judges refused to dismiss the lawsuits, and threw out less than half of the 37 claims offered by attorneys for Democratic elected officials, civil rights groups, election-watchdog agencies and voters. Lawyers for the state and legislative leaders had wanted the lawsuits thrown out. Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/07/1835645/redistricting-lawsuits-move-on.html#storylink=cpy

Redistricting lawsuits move on

RALEIGH — A pair of lawsuits challenging North Carolina’s new Republican-penned boundaries for congressional and legislative seats can move forward, a three-judge panel said Monday.…

Staff Attorney Chris Brook Speaks at “A Just Transition to a Green Economy”

SCSJ staff attorney Chris Brook spoke January 27 at the fourth annual Duke Law Forum for Law and Social Change symposium on “A Just Transition to a Green Economy.” While hailing the opportunities available in the transition to a green economy, Brook highlighted the potential dangers for low wealth communities of color. Too often industries “push destructive projects to communities of color as green job producers.” Brook focused on SCSJ’s successful effort to oppose the re-opening and expansion of the White Street Landfill in Greensboro, a proposal that began under the auspices of pursuing waste to energy possibilities. Check out Chris’s full discussion here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dj0KGdvR5U&feature=youtube

SCSJ in 2- Week Trial Urging the D.C. District Court to Find Texas’ Redistricting Plans Racially Discriminatory

SCSJ represents the Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches in Texas v. United States, litigation in the federal District Court for the District of Columbia in which the state of Texas is seeking federal preclearance for its Congressional, State House and State Senate redistricting plans. The NAACP is joining with the United States Department of Justice in arguing that these plans were crafted with racially discriminatory intent and will have a retrogressive effect on minority voters. Trial begins on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 and will conclude at the end of the following week, with closing arguments on February 3. The outcome of this trial will be key in what plan is in place for the 2012 elections conducted in Texas this fall. Texas is an incredibly diverse state, and the NAACP stands with all minority voters in resisting the state’s longstanding and egregious attempts to minimize the voting strength of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American voters in Texas.