Rural West Tennessee African-American Affairs Council, Inc. v. McWherter

OPINION OF THREE-JUDGE COURT

MERRITT, Chief Circuit Judge.

In this legislative reapportionment case under § 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1973, the plaintiffs seek additional majority-black seats in the state senate for west Tennessee. In a previous decision in this case, reported as Rural W. Tenn. African-American Affairs Council v. McWherter, 836 F.Supp. 453 (W.D.Tenn.1993), vacated, — U.S. —, 114 S.Ct. 2775, 129 L.Ed.2d 888 (1994) [hereinafter Rural West I], having found a violation of § 2, we required substantial statewide proportionality of majority-black districts to black…