Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 No. 19-60133 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT JOSEPH THOMAS; VERNON AYERS; MELVIN LAWSON, Plaintiffs – Appellees v. PHIL BRYANT, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; DELBERT HOSEMANN, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; JIM HOOD, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, ALL IN THE OFFICIAL CAPACITIES OF THEIR OWN OFFICES AND IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITIES AS MEMBERS OF THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS COMMISSIONERS, Defendants – Appellants ______________________________ On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi; USDC No. 3:18-cv-00441-CWR-FKB PETITION FOR HEARING EN BANC Michael B. Wallace (MSB #6904) Tommie S. Cardin (MSB #5863) Charles E. Cowan (MSB #104478) B. Parker Berry (MSB #104251) T. Russell Nobile (MSB #100682) BUTLER SNOW LLP WISE CARTER CHILD & CARAWAY, P.A. 1020 Highland Colony Park, Suite 1400 Post Office Box 651 Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157 Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0651 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for Appellants Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES The undersigned counsel of record for Appellants Governor Phil Bryant and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann certifies that the following listed persons and entities as described in the fourth sentence of Rule 28.2.1 have an interest in the outcome of this case. These representations are made in order that the judges of this Court may evaluate possible disqualification or recusal. Plaintiffs-Appellees: 1. Joseph Thomas 2. Vernon Ayers 3. Melvin Lawson Counsel of Record: Robert B. McDuff (MSB #2532) 767 North Congress Street Jackson, Mississippi 39202 Kristen Clarke Jon Greenbaum Ezra D. Rosenberg Arusha Gordon LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW 1500 K. Street, NW, Suite 900 Washington, D.C. 20005 (202) 662-8315 [email protected] Beth L. Orlansky (MSB #3938) Advocacy Director MISSISSIPPI CENTER FOR JUSTICE P.O. Box 1023 Jackson, MS 39215-1023 i Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 3 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 (769) 230-2838 [email protected] Ellis Turnage (MSB #8131) TURNAGE LAW OFFICE 108 N. Pearman Ave. Cleveland, Mississippi 38732 Peter Kraus Charles Siegel Caitlyn Silhan WATERS KRAUS 3141 Hood Street, Suite 700 Dallas, Texas 75219 Defendants-Appellants 1. Phil Bryant, Governor of the State Of Mississippi. 2. Delbert Hosemann, Secretary of State of the State Of Mississippi. 3. Jim Hood, Attorney General of the State of Mississippi. Counsel of Record: Tommie S. Cardin (MSB #5863) B. Parker Berry (MSB #104251) BUTLER SNOW LLP Suite 1400 1020 Highland Colony Parkway Ridgeland , MS 39157 Post Office Box 6010 Ridgeland, MS 39158-6010 Tel: (601) 985-4570 Fax: (601) 985-4500 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Michael B. Wallace (MSB #6904) Charles E. Cowan (MSB #104478) T. Russell Noble (MSB 100682) WISE CARTER CHILD & CARAWAY, P.A. ii Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 4 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 Post Office Box 651 Jackson, MS 39205-0651 (601) 968-5534 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for Appellant Jim Douglas T. Miracle Hood: MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE 550 High Street, Suite 1200 P.O. Box 220 (39205) Jackson, Mississippi 39201 I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, these are the only persons having an interest in the outcome of this appeal. s/ Tommie S. Cardin TOMMIE S. CARDIN iii Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 5 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 FEDERAL RULE 35(B)(1) STATEMENT This proceeding involves one or more questions of exceptional importance as to which a panel of this Court has divided. See Thomas v. Bryant, 2019 WL 1306304 (5th Cir. March 22, 2019). Accordingly, the following questions of exceptional importance merit en banc review: 1. Whether 28 U.S.C. § 2284(a) is jurisdictional and mandates that an action challenging the apportionment of a state legislative district under the Voting Rights Act must be heard by a three-judge panel? 2. Whether the doctrine of laches should apply to require that any challenge to state legislative district under the Voting Rights Act be barred when a) it is brought too late to allow an orderly process of judicial review and legislative response, and b) there was reason to know of the cause of action in time to file a suit to which such a review and response would have been possible? 3. Whether a single majority-minority district is subject to challenge under §2 of the Voting Rights Act? 4. Whether the district court erred as a matter of law by imposing a remedy without (a) affording to the legislature reasonable opportunity to act, and (b) conducting a remedial hearing and making specific findings of fact? iv Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 6 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES ..........................................................i FEDERAL RULE 35(B)(1) STATEMENT .............................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................v TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ....................................................................................vi TABLE OF EXHIBITS ......................................................................................... viii STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES MERITING EN BANC CONSIDERATION ...................................................................................................1 STATEMENT OF THE COURSE OF PROCEEDINGS AND DISPOSITION OF THE CASE.................................................................................2 STATEMENT OF NECESSARY FACTS................................................................4 ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITIES........................................................................5 I. Three-Judge Panel .................................................................................5 II. Relief Barred by Laches........................................................................7 III. No Section 2 Violation........................................................................11 IV. Failure to Afford Legislative Remedy ................................................14 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................16 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ................................................................................18 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE.......................................................................19 COPY OF OPINION SOUGHT TO BE REVIEWED............................................20 v Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 7 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Other Authorities Arizona Minority Coalition for Fair Redistricting v. Arizona Ind. Redistricting Comm’n, 366 F. Supp. 2d 887 (D. Ariz. 2005) ............................................................ 7, 8, 9 Armour v. Ohio, 925 F.2d 987 (6th Cir. 1991) .................................................................................5 Elvis Presley Enters. v. Capece, 141 F.3d 180 (5th Cir. 1998) .................................................................................8 Fouts v. Harris, 88 F. Supp. 2d 1352 (S.D. Fla.1999) .................................................................7, 8 Hall v. Louisiana, 108 F. Supp. 3d 419 (M.D. La. 2015)..................................................................13 Johnson v. DeGrandy, 512 U. S. 997 (1994)............................................................................................12 Kalson v. Patterson, 542 F. 3d 281 (2nd Circ. 2008)..............................................................................5 Lopez v. Hale County, Texas, 797 F. Supp. 547 (N.D. Texas 1992).....................................................................7 LULAC of Texas v. Texas, 318 F. App’x 261 (5th Cir. 2009) ..........................................................................5 Maxwell v. Foster, 1999 WL 33507675 (W.D. La. Nov. 24, 1999)...............................................7, 10 Miller v. Johnson, 515 U. S. 900 (1995)............................................................................................14 Mo. St. Conf. of the NAACP v. Ferguson- Florissant Sch. Dist., 894 F.3d 924 (8th Cir. 2018) ...............................................................................14 Rangel v. Morales, 8 F.3d 242 (5th Cir. 1993) ...................................................................................13 Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964).........................................................................................7, 15 Rodriguez v. Bexar County, 385 F. 3d 853 (5th Cir. 2004) ..............................................................................13 Shaw, 517 U. S. 899 (1996)............................................................................................12 Thomas v. Bryant, 2019 WL 1306304 (5th Cir. March 22, 2019) ................................ iv, 3, 6, 10, 12 vi Case: 19-60133 Document: 00514907153 Page: 8 Date Filed: 04/08/2019 United States v. Kay, 359 F.3d 738 (5th Cir. 2004) .................................................................................6 Veasey v Abbott, 830 F.3d 216 (5th Cir. 2016) ...............................................................................14 Veasey