Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-2_05-cv-01100/USCOURTS-almd-2_05-cv-01100-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 441
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Voting
Cause of Action: 42:1973 Voting Rights Act

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IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, NORTHERN DIVISION

YVONNE KENNEDY, JAMES )

BUSKEY & WILLIAM CLARK, )

)

Plaintiffs, )

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

v. ) 2:05cv1100-MHT

) (WO)

HONORABLE BOB RILEY, as )

Governor of the State of )

Alabama, )

)

Defendant. )

Before Stanley Marcus, Circuit Judge, Myron H. Thompson,

District Judge, and W. Harold Albritton, Senior District

Judge.

ORDER

On August 18, 2006, this three-judge court held that

two Alabama Supreme Court decisions, Stokes v. Noonan,

534 So. 2d 237 (Ala. 1988), and Riley v. Kennedy, 928

So.2d 1013 (Ala. 2005), must be precleared before they

can be implemented. Kennedy v. Riley, 445 F. Supp. 2d

1333, 1337 (M.D. Ala. 2006). On January 8, 2007, after

the State of Alabama had submitted the state-court

decisions for preclearance, the United States Department

Case 2:05-cv-01100-MHT-TFM Document 48 Filed 05/01/07 Page 1 of 2
of Justice refused to preclear them, and, on March 12,

2007, refused to reconsider its decision. This matter is

now before us on the plaintiffs’ renewed motion for

further relief. 

We conclude that, because Stokes v. Noonan and Riley

v. Kennedy were not precleared, Governor Bob Riley’s

appointment of Juan Chastang to the Mobile County

Commission pursuant to these two decisions was unlawful

under federal law. Chastang’s appointment must therefore

be vacated. 

Accordingly, it is the ORDER, JUDGMENT and DECREE of

the court that the plaintiffs’ renewed motion for further

relief (Doc. No. 44) is granted to the extent that the

appointment of Juan Chastang to the Mobile County

Commission is vacated.

Done, this the 1st day of May, 2007.

 /s/ Stanley Marcus 

UNITED STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

 /s/ W. Harold Albritton 

SENIOR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 2:05-cv-01100-MHT-TFM Document 48 Filed 05/01/07 Page 2 of 2