Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee

The Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee, in Noxubee County, Mississippi, headed by Ike Brown, was investigated in 2005 by the United States Department of Justice for alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act with regards to the county's white minority.

In 2006, the United States filed suit (United States v. Brown (S.D. Miss)) under the Voting Rights Act (VRA) alleging that Brown, the chairman of the Committee, had conspired to orchestrate "relentless racial discrimination" against white voters.[1][2]

On June 29, 2007, United States District Judge Tom S. Lee ruled that Brown (a twice-convicted felon), in conjunction with the Noxubee Democratic Executive Committee, had "manipulated the political process in ways specifically intended and designed to impair and impede participation of white voters and to dilute their votes." The 104-page opinion held that the Voting Rights Act is a colorblind statute and protects all voters from racial discrimination, regardless of the race of the voter. The Court ruled that the Noxubee County Democratic Party had an illegal intent to discriminate against white voters in violation of Section 2 of the VRA. The United States entered in a consent decree with the Noxubee County superintendent of general elections, administrator of absentee ballots, registrar, and the county government. The consent decree prohibited a wide range of discriminatory and illegal voting practices, and required these officials to report such incidents if they received information that they were continuing. This consent decree was approved by the district court and filed simultaneously with the filing of the complaint. Ike Brown claimed to the New York Times that he had not signed any papers.[1][3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nossiter, Adam (2006-10-11). "U.S. Says Blacks in Mississippi Suppress White Vote". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ Shapiro, Ari (2005-11-14). "White Voters in Mississippi Allege Voting Discrimination" (audio). National Public Radio. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  3. ↑ Court decision re Noxubee County, Mississippi voting rights, adversity.net; accessed November 23, 2014.