Smith v. Clinton

ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.

The issue in this case is whether at-large voting for two seats in the Arkansas House of Representatives from dual-member District 48-49 in Crittenden County denies black voters an equal opportunity to participate in the political process, in violation of section 2 et seq. of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 1973 et seq. 1

We have made a careful, practical assessment of the impact of the challenged multi-member structure, “in the light of past and present reality, political and otherwise.” See White v. Regester, 412 U.S. 755, 769-70, 93 S.Ct. 2332,…