The First Circuit today decided, 2-1, that Sec. 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires the creation of black-white coalitional districts, in certain contexts, even where black voters cannot form a numerical majority of the district.  In this case, Rhode Island dropped the black population of one Senate district from 26% to 21%; the district had historically elected the only black state senator, with white and Hispanic crossover support.  The case is an important resolution of one of the issues that Georgia v. Ashcroft opens us, and there is now a conflict in the Courts of Appeals on this important question.



Rick Pildes
Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
40 Washington Sq. South
Room 322-B
New York, NY 10012-1099
also reachable at:  rick.pildes@nyu.edu
o:  212 998-6377
fax:  212 995-4341
http://www.law.nyu.edu/faculty/profiles/bios/pildesr_bio.html