Will Ferrell Blount support landmark lawsuit?

Open Email | 7/23/2003 | Tom Farr

[Prospero]

Memo to (NCGOP) Executive and Central Committee

From: Thomas Farr [mailto:taf@ral.haynsworth.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 3:52 PM

Steve:

I am writing you as lead counsel for the Chair of the Republican Party
and other plaintiffs in the legislative re-districting case of
Stephenson v. Bartlett. I urgently request that this memo be conveyed to
all members of the NCGOP central and executive committees.

To date, we have prevailed in all major rulings in this case including
two decisions on the merits by the North Carolina Supreme Court. Because
the courts ordered the state to use constitutional and fair districting
plans for the 2002 elections, Republicans were able to campaign in
competitive and non-gerrymandered districts. Because districts were not
gerrymandered to make safe seats for a Democrat majority, Republicans
were able to elect a majority in the House and make significant gains in
the Senate despite the fact that Democrats raised and spent
substantially more money then Republican candidates. Many freshman
Republican legislators would not have been elected if elections had been
held under the illegal and gerrymandered plans enacted by the General
Assembly. Further, there would be no Republican co-speaker because
Democrats would have elected a substantial majority in the House.

Unfortunately, the battle for fair and constitutional
districts has not yet been won. Despite clear and unambiguous
instructions from the North Carolina Supreme Court for legislative
districts, there are serious rumors that the Democrat majority in the
General Assembly has no intention of complying with the constitution as
interpreted by the Supreme Court and that they still intend to enact
illegal and gerrymandered plans guaranteed to protect favored incumbents
and elect a Democrat majority.

This means that the plaintiffs in Stephenson will be forced to go back
to court for a third time. This in turn will cause the Republican
plaintiffs to again incur additional legal expense while the interests
of the Democrat Party will again be represented at taxpayer expense by
the Attorney General.

There is another way to uphold the rule of law and protect the right of
voters to elect candidates of their choice. Because Republicans now
make up 50% of the House, Republicans have the ability to block
any unconstitutional House or Senate plans if they put aside their
differences and stand united on re-districting plans.

It is therefore absolutely imperative , both for the interests of the
Republican Party, and all voters in North Carolina, that any new Chair
of the NCGOP be as committed to the rule of law as Bill Cobey.

I urge the members of the central and executive committees to ask all
candidates for Chair of NCGOP to publicly state their position on
upholding the decisions of the NC Supreme Court. Candidates for Chair
should also explain whether they will hold all Republican members of the
General Assembly publicly accountable for voting only for
constitutional plans for state senate and state house based upon the
advice that we, the attorneys for the Republican plaintiffs , will
provide to legislators.

Thank you for your consideration.

Thomas A. Farr

Thomas A. Farr
Haynsworth, Baldwin, Johnson & Greaves
1400 Crescent Green, Suite 320
Cary, NC 27511-8118

919.233.4600
919.233.9988 (fax)

[Prospero]

The Governor Race in NC is another story.

PAY ATTENTION NCGOP ExecComm members! You've got a chairman's race 6 weeks after the convention.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/952203/posts

[CJ Wolf]

[thegreatbeast]

Good luck & Godspeed!

[ConservativeMan55]

LOL!