University of Michigan Law School
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
HOME
ABOUT
FOR TEACHERS
SEARCH
QUESTIONS
RECENT ADDITIONS
feedback/
suggestions
log in/
register
Case Profile
new search
page permalink
Case Name
Fletcher v. Lamone
VR-MD-0041
Docket / Court
8:11-cv-03220-RWT ( D. Md. )
State/Territory
Maryland
Case Type(s)
Election/Voting Rights
Case Summary
On November 10, 2011, nine African-American voters in Maryland filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Maryland, under Sections 2 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act and 42 U.S.C. §1983. The plaintiffs, represented by private counsel, asked for both declaratory ...
read more >
On November 10, 2011, nine African-American voters in Maryland filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Maryland, under Sections 2 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act and 42 U.S.C. §1983. The plaintiffs, represented by private counsel, asked for both declaratory and injunctive relief alleging that Maryland intentionally violated minority rights after the 2010 Census by only creating two minority-majority districts (out of eight total) despite 40% of the population being a minority.
The plaintiffs argued that Maryland's approach to census data that required prisoners to be considered at their last known address, rather than at their correctional facility (and eliminating any prisoners whose last known address was outside the state from consideration) violated the Voting Rights Act, as well as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Over 70% of those not considered were black. The District Court (Judge Roger Titus) granted a motion allowing for a three-judge panel to hear the case (2011 WL 5854636) and later denied a motion to intervene by six additional Maryland residents (2011 WL 6097770).
On December 23, 2011, the three-judge panel (opinion written by Judge Paul Niemeyer) granted Maryland's motion for summary judgment because states are allowed to tinker with census data as long as their method was not haphazard, inconsistent, or conjectural (831 F.Supp.2d 887). The Supreme Court summarily affirmed (without opinion) on June 25, 2012, 133 S.Ct. 29.
Jonathan Forman - 06/10/2013
compress summary
- click to show/hide ALL -
Issues and Causes of Action
click to show/hide detail
Issues
Constitutional Clause
Equal Protection
Defendant-type
Jurisdiction-wide
Discrimination-basis
Race discrimination
General
Voting
Plaintiff Type
Private Plaintiff
Race
Black
Voting
Redistricting/district composition
Vote dilution
Causes of Action
Voting Rights Act, section 5, 52 U.S.C. § 10304 (previously 42 U.S.C. § 1973c)
Voting Rights Act, section 2, 52 U.S.C. § 10301 (previously 42 U.S.C. § 1973)
Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201
42 U.S.C. § 1983
Case Details
click to show/hide detail
Defendant(s)
State of Maryland
Plaintiff Description
Nine African-Americans voters in Maryland claiming that the new redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against racial minorities
Class action status sought
No
Class action status granted
No
Filed Pro Se
No
Prevailing Party
Defendant
Public Int. Lawyer
No
Nature of Relief
None
Source of Relief
Litigation
Filed
11/10/2011
Case Closing Year
2012
Case Ongoing
No
Additional Resources
click to show/hide detail
See this case
at CourtListener.com
(May provide additional documents and, for active cases, real-time alerts)
Documents
click to show/hide detail
Court
Docket(s)
D. Md.
10/16/2012
8:11-cv-03220-RWT
VR-MD-0041-9000.pdf
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
General Documents
D. Md.
11/10/2011
Complaint [ECF# 1]
VR-MD-0041-0001.pdf
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
D. Md.
11/10/2011
Attachments to Complaint [ECF# 1-1]
VR-MD-0041-0002.pdf
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
D. Md.
11/21/2011
Memorandum Opinion [ECF# 17]
(2011 WL 5854636)
VR-MD-0041-0003.pdf
|
WESTLAW
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
D. Md.
12/05/2011
Memorandum Opinion (Denying Individual Petitioners' Motion to Intervene) [ECF# 36]
(2011 WL 6097770)
VR-MD-0041-0005.pdf
|
WESTLAW
|
Detail
Source: Westlaw
D. Md.
12/23/2011
Opinion of the Three-Judge Court [ECF# 54]
(831 F.Supp.2d 887)
VR-MD-0041-0008.pdf
|
WESTLAW
|
LEXIS
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
U.S. Supreme Court
06/25/2012
Denial of Cert [ECF# 63]
(133 S.Ct. 29 / 183 L.Ed.2d 671)
VR-MD-0041-0009.pdf
|
WESTLAW
|
LEXIS
|
Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
People
click to show/hide detail
show all people docs
Judges
Niemeyer, Paul Victor
(D. Md., Fourth Circuit)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-0008
Titus, Roger W.
(D. Md.)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-0003 | VR-MD-0041-0005 | VR-MD-0041-9000
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Mayes, James Paul
(North Carolina)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-0001 | VR-MD-0041-0002 | VR-MD-0041-9000
Smith, Clarence Paul
(Maryland)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Torchinsky, Jason Brett
(Virginia)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-0001 | VR-MD-0041-0002 | VR-MD-0041-9000
Defendant's Lawyers
Friedman, Dan
(Maryland)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Rowe, Kathryn M.
(Maryland)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Snyder, Adam Dean
(Maryland)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Sullivan, Steven M.
(Maryland)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Other Lawyers
Ho, Dale E.
(New York)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Jeon, Deborah A.
(Maryland)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Kajstura, Aleks
(Massachusetts)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Quereshi, Ajmel
(District of Columbia)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Wagner, Peter J.
(Massachusetts)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
Wright, Brenda
(District of Columbia)
show/hide docs
VR-MD-0041-9000
- click to show/hide ALL -
new search
page permalink
- top of page -
Contact
Report an Error
Privacy Policy