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VOTING
RIGHTS CONFERENCE
Washington, DC
November
19-20, 1999
The
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in association
with the Program on Law and Government American University
Washington College of Law
DAY
1
Friday, November 19, 1999
DAY
2
Saturday, November 20, 1999
At
the close of the 20th century, African Americans, women,
persons without property, language minorities, and even
homeless persons have the right to vote. The ability to
cast the vote has encountered many changes over the last
decade. In some respects with the National Voter Registration
Act of 1993, opportunities to register to vote have greatly
expanded. In other respects for people of color, the ability
to have an equal opportunity to elect their candidate of
choice and use their political power has come into question
due to recent Supreme Court decisions. Further, the debate
around Census 2000, including such issues as the use of
sampling and the multi-racial category, could impact whether
and how persons of color are counted.
The
program of the Sixth Voting Rights Conference of the Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is listed below. This
Conference brought together leading experts, litigators,
legislators, and community organizers to discuss ways to
empower the minority community in light of present and future
obstacles to the utilization of the franchise. This Conference
offered an opportunity for those concerned with voting rights
enforcement and minority representation to analyze the most
recent legal developments and develop new strategies and
remedies intended to maintain and even gain minority voting
strength.
If
you would like to order a copy of the materials provided
at the conference -- over 800 pages of high quality briefs,
court opinions, Census documents, and the like please
print out the order form and send it to us with your check.
DAY
1
Friday, November 19, 1999 |
Top |
| 8:15
a.m. |
Registration
& Continental Breakfast |
| 9:00
a.m. |
Introduction
and Welcome |
| 9:15
a.m. |
Getting
ready for post-2000 redistricting
Moderator:
Gilda Williams, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, DC
Presenters:
Brenda Wright, National Voting Rights Institute, MA
Derrick Johnson, Southern Echo, MS Robert Holmes,
Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy, GA Anita
Hodgkiss, U.S. Department of Justice, DC Winnett Hagens,
Southern Regional Council, GA
|
| 11:15
a.m. |
Break |
| 11:30
a.m. |
Section
2 --- as applied to redistricting or in a stand-alone
case
Moderator:
Maha Zaki, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law, DC
Presenters:
Judd Miner, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, IL Laughlin
McDonald, ACLU/ Southern Regional Office, GA Chris
Coates, U.S. Department of Justice, DC Robert McDuff,
Law Offices of Robert B. McDuff, MS
|
| 1:00
p.m. |
Lunch
|
| 2:00
p.m. |
Section
5
Moderator:
Gilda Williams, Lawyers¹ Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, DC
Presenters:
Patricia Brannan, Hogan Hartson, LLP, DC Joaquin Avila,
Law Offices of Joaquin Avila, CA Zita Johnson-Betts,
U.S. Department of Justice, DC J. Gerald Hebert, Law
Offices of J. Gerald Hebert, VA
|
| 3:45
p.m. |
Break
|
| 4:00
p.m. |
Breakout
Sessions Section 203 litigation (language minorities)
Moderator:
Edward Still, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, DC
Presenters:
Glenn Magpantay, Asian American Legal Defense & Education
Fund, NY Gaye Hume, U.S. Department of Justice, DC
Campaign
finance as a civil rights issue
Moderator:
Maha Zaki, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law, DC
Presenters:
Brenda Wright, National Voting Rights Institute, MA
Deborah Goldberg, Brennan Center for Justice, NY
|
| 5:15
p.m. |
Reception
|
| 6:15
p.m. |
Dinner
Dinner
Speaker: Barbara R. Arnwine
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| |
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DAY
2
Saturday, November 20, 1999 |
Top |
| 9:00
a.m. |
Census
2000 data for redistricting and voting rights cases
Moderator:
Edward Still, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, DC
Presenter:
Marshall Turner, U.S. Census Bureau Comments: Marisa
Demeo, Mexican American Legal Defense & Education
Fund, DC Hilary Shelton, NAACP Washington Bureau,
DC Karen Narasaki, National Asian Pacific American
Legal Consortium, DC
|
| 10:45
a.m. |
Break |
| 11:00
a.m. |
Breakout
sessions
Alternative
elections plans to provide relief to the minority
group
Moderator:
Edward Still, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, DC
Presenters:
Fred McBride, Center for Voting & Democracy, MD Bobby
Agee, Chilton County Commission, AL
Felon
disenfranchisement
Moderator:
Gilda Williams, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, DC
Presenters:
Gregory Moore, Office of Hon. John Conyers, Jr., DC
Anthony Foxx, Office of Hon. Mel Watt, DC Marc Mauer,
The Sentencing Project, DC Earl Shinhoster, National
Office of NAACP
|
| 12:15
p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:15
p.m. |
Defending
districting plans against Shaw v. Reno (collateral
or direct) attacks
Moderator:
Maha Zaki, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law, DC
Presenters:
James U. Blacksher, Law Offices of James Blacksher,
AL Jacqueline Berrien, NAACP/LDF, NY/DC Robert McDuff,
Law Offices of Robert B. McDuff, MS Gerald Webster,
University of Alabama
|
| 3:00
p.m. |
Break
|
| 3:15
p.m. |
Experts
-- Historical and political science evidence
Moderator:
Edward Still, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law, DC
Presenters:
Vernon Burton, University of Illinois Peyton McCrary,
U.S. Department of Justice, DC Allan Lichtman, The
American University, DC Jason Kirksey, Oklahoma State
University
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|
5:00
p.m
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Adjourn
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top
Voting
Rights Project
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