|
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
|
| |
|
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
|
|
5:00
p.m
|
Adjourn
|
top
Voting
Rights Project
|
