Gaston County v. United States

J. SHELLY WRIGHT, Circuit Judge:

Gaston County, North Carolina, brought this action pursuant to Section 4(a) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1973 et seq. (Supp. II 1965-66), seeking a declaratory judgment that, during the past five years, no “test or device” within the meaning of the Act has been used in Gaston County for the purpose or with the effect of denying or abridging the right to register to vote or to vote on account of race or color. Although several other counties and one state covered by the Act have instituted similar actions, 1 this is the first case that has…