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By JOHN NOLAN
A •• oc�t.d P_!.ss Writ.,
ircuit Court of Appeal
U ..
rul
T'h court's majority upheld a
prior ruling by U.S. District
Judge Richard Enslen that al­
lowed Bla nd Hispanics to
join ly ue. Kent County had
tri d to h ve the lawsuit dis-
, mi ed.
In
Rich rd
did no l i 'VI th 1 w all
two min rity groups to join
fo to ring complaint.
BIa k nd Hispanic r id n
ued in S p m r 1991. Th y
alle that a redrawing of th
county's voting districts b ed
on population shifts docu­
m nt. by th 1 90 ns vio­
ltd t h ct by diluting
mm rity votingstren h among
the n w di tric . Th county in­
cludes the city of Grand Rapid
T W T Wcould
go back to Enslen' cour in
Kalamazoo, Mich., for a trial.
Th county could avoid a trial by
reaching a d al with the plain­
tiffs. Or county officials could
ask the full 15-judge ppe Is
cour to r h ar th ca e, or ap­
p al dir ly to th U.S. u-
WASHINGTON - President Clinton addresses the National Baptist Convention on Friday,
September 9, highlighting the need for personal responsibility and community involvement
The Convention is the largest body of African-American Baptists in the world comprised of
. more than 30,000 churches and numbering more than 8.2 million people.
mg th
prem Court.
The county's lawy r, Mar
Allard, said he had not seen
Monday's court deci ion. All rd
id he would talk with county
officials bout what to do n xt.
J arne Rinck, lawyer for
Black nd Hispanic plaintiffs,
id he wa pl a with th
ruling.
Congr ss id ntifi Blac
and Hispanic in th Voting
Rights Act as group that had
suffered voting discrimination,
but did not write that Blacks
. and Hispanics could form a coa­
lition to sue under the law, AI­
'lard argu (I re th ap als
court ,qn I Y 5i, . ','-:1 ru- " 1) •
'I
Bla and Hisp ni in Kent
County have similar political
concern and interests, and
should be allowed to jointly pur-
u their la uit, Rinck had told
th court. County Republica
in 199] red w voting di tri
lin to redu th numb r of
di tri s from 21 to 19.
D mocr ts, and th plaintiffs
in th law uit, id th P'S
Ih:TfHHT
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