CASE STUDIES IN EMERGENCY ELECTION LITIGATION

Federal Judicial Center 10/26/2023 1

No Second Majority-White District 

for Quincy, Florida 

Baroody v. City of Quincy 

(Allen Winsor, N.D. Fla. 4:20-cv-217) 

Three days before a city-commission election, a federal district judge 

denied a claim that the newly redistricted commission should include a second majority-White district. 

Subject: District lines. Topic: Section 2 discrimination. 

A federal complaint filed on April 28, 2020, in the Northern District of Florida 

challenged a March 26 redistricting plan for Quincy’s city commission.1 Nine 

days later, the two plaintiffs—citizen residents of Quincy—filed an emergency 

motion for a case-management conference and a scheduling order, noting upcoming elections on June 9.2

Judge Allen Winsor set the case for a telephonic status conference on May 

12, noting that no injunction motion was pending and posting contact information for the call in the public docket sheet.3

 Complying with Judge Winsor’s 

order, the parties submitted a joint status report on the day before the conference, stating, 

The parties understand that Plaintiffs will soon be filing a motion seeking 

preliminary injunctive relief, and request that Defendants be allowed two (2) 

weeks from the filing of such motion to respond thereto, and that Plaintiffs 

be allowed to file a reply brief prior to a hearing upon such motion, to be set 

at the Court’s convenience prior to the June 9 2020 Quincy City Commissioner elections.4

At the status conference, Judge Winsor noted that the injunction motion 

would be filed on May 15, and he set the case for another public telephonic 

status conference on May 20.5

 The May 15 injunction motion argued, “Absent 

an injunction, hundreds (if not thousands) of White/Anglo voters in existing 

District 5 will have their vote in the 2020 City Commissioner elections diluted 

and rendered meaningless because of the color of their skin.”6 Judge Winsor 

set the motion for a courthouse hearing on June 4.7

1. Complaint, Broody v. City of Quincy, No. 4:20-cv-217 (N.D. Fla. Apr. 28, 2020), D.E. 1; 

see Amended Complaint, id. (May 22, 2020), D.E. 18. 

“The City of Quincy is the county seat of Gadsden County and home to some 8,670 residents.” Opinion at 1, id. (June 7, 2020), D.E. 31. 

2. Motion, id. (May 7, 2020), D.E. 6. 

3. Order, id. (May 8, 2020), D.E. 8; Docket Sheet, id. (Apr. 28, 2020) (D.E. 9). 

4. Status Report at 2, id. (May 11, 2020), D.E. 11. 

5. Order, id. (May 12, 2020), D.E. 12; Minutes, id. (May 12, 2020), D.E. 12; Docket Sheet, 

supra note 3 (D.E. 14); see id. (minutes, D.E. 16). 

6. Preliminary-Injunction Motion, Broody, No. 4:20-cv-217 (N.D. May 15, 2020), D.E. 15. 

7. Docket Sheet, supra note 3 (D.E. 17); see Minutes, Broody, No. 4:20-cv-217 (N.D. Fla. 

June 4, 2020), D.E. 29. 
No Second Majority-White District for Quincy, Florida 

2 Federal Judicial Center 10/26/2023 

On Sunday, June 7, two days before the election, Judge Winsor denied the 

plaintiffs immediate relief.8

For decades, the district lines were essentially untouched. The districting plan 

enacted in 1974 was the districting plan in place in 2020—at least until March 

2020, when the City enacted a new districting plan. . . . 

A majority of Quincy residents are black. A minority are White. According to the complaint, it has been this way for more than one hundred years.9

Judge Winsor found that the plaintiffs could not show either the feasibility 

of a second compact majority-White district or that White voters voted as a 

bloc.10

Judge Winsor issued a voluntary dismissal on June 19.11

8. Opinion, supra note 1. 

9. Id. at 1–2. 

10. Id. at 6–21. 

11. Order, Broody, No. 4:20-cv-217 (N.D. Fla. June 19, 2020), D.E. 34.