Germano v. Kerner

241 F. Supp. 715, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6355
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedMay 7, 1965
Docket63 C 291
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 241 F. Supp. 715 (Germano v. Kerner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Germano v. Kerner, 241 F. Supp. 715, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6355 (N.D. Ill. 1965).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, District Judge.

The briefs filed in support of the instant motions to reconsider and vacate and the February 4,1965, decision of the Illinois Supreme Court in Engle v. Kerner, 32 Ill.2d 212, 205 N.E.2d 33, indicate the need for additional comment by this court as to the underlying rationale of our Order of January 22, 1965. Especially provocative of comment is the argument made by the intervening defendants and defendant Scott that this court must, in light of the Engle decision, *717 relinguish its jurisdiction over this case to the state court. Apparently, the basis for such an argument is not to be found entirely in a reading of the Engle decision, but rather, in counsel’s analysis thereof.

Our Order of January 22, 1965, is set forth as follows:

In obedience to and in implementation of the Remand Order of the Supreme Court herein dated July 20, 1964, it is hereby ordered:

1. That the plaintiffs amend within 10 days their complaint to include as parties defendant, and cause process to be issued and served on all present members of the Illinois General Assembly.
2. That because of the constitutional infirmities contained in certain provisions of Sec. 6 Article IV of the Illinois Constitution, S.H.A., and Ill.Rev.Stat. Ch. 46, Sec. 158-1 to 158-5, requiring the apportionment of State Senatorial districts on the basis of area, which provisions the Supreme Court has found herein to violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, no election of Illinois State Senators may hereafter be held pursuant to said constitutional provision and legislation.
3. That any implementation, amendment or substitution of all or part of the said defective portions of the said constitution or legislation be submitted to and approved by this court before the holding of any election pursuant thereto, to determine pursuant to the aforesaid mandate satisfactory compliance with the guidelines set forth in the related and applicable decisions of the United States Supreme Court.
4. That in the event no such implementation, amendment or substitution of the constitutionally defective method of election of Illinois state senators is approved by this Court, as above provided, a rule shall issue forthwith directing the parties defendant herein, including those added pursuant to paragraph 1 of this order, to show cause why all Illinois state senatorial seats shall not be filled at and' by a general at-large election at the time presently scheduled for the 1966 elections, and every four years thereafter.
5. That this court retains jurisdiction to afford such relief as may be necessary to effectuate this Order.

The right of a court to declare a particular election system violative of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution can no longer be questioned. Once a court has made such a determination, only what constitutes appropriate judicial relief becomes paramount. It is this question, addressing itself to judicially fashioning a remedy to malapportionment, that was and is before this court. Our Order of January 22, clearly indicates the judicial remedy this court, in obedience to the July 20, 1964, Mandate of the United States Supreme Court, intends to apply.

Since Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, 82 S.Ct. 691, 7 L.Ed.2d 663, the courts and legal writers have been concerned with the problems inherent in attempting judicially to relieve malapportioned voting systems. One might reasonably suspect that the Supreme Court’s belated consideration of patent apportionment abuses was due not so much to jurisdictional doubts as to remedial difficulties. In Baker v. Carr at pages 259-260, 82 S.Ct. at page 733 Justice Clark in his concurring opinion demonstrated this concern when he stated: “Finally, we must consider if there are any appropriate modes of effective judicial relief. The federal courts are of course not forums for political debate, nor should they resolve themselves into state constitutional conventions or legislative assemblies.”

Notably in all of the more recent apportionment cases decided by the Supreme Court they conspicuously avoid the judi *718 cial remedy issue usually by concluding that they “express no view on questions relating to remedies at the present time.” Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 84 S.Ct. 1362, 12 L.Ed.2d 506; WMCA, Inc. v. Lomenzo, 377 U.S. 633, 84 S.Ct. 1418, 12 L.Ed.2d 568; Maryland Comm, for Fair Representation v. Tawes, 377 U.S. 656, 84 S.Ct. 1429, 12 L.Ed.2d 595; Davis v. Mann, 377 U.S. 678, 84 S.Ct. 1453, 12 L.Ed.2d 609; Roman v. Sincock, 377 U.S. 695, 84 S.Ct. 1449,12 L.Ed.2d 620; Lucas v. Forty-Fourth General Assembly of State of Colorado, 377 U.S. 713, 84 S.Ct. 1459, 12 L.Ed.2d 632.

Apportionment is traditionally and necessarily a legislative function. Notwithstanding many ill-advised comments of its detractors to the contrary this fact has been generally acknowledged by the Supreme Court. (Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 586, 84 S.Ct 1362, 1394, 12 L.Ed.2d 506; “ * * * legislative reapportionment is primarily a matter for legislative consideration and determination * * * ”) The Court appropriately continued by observing «* * * that judicial relief becomes appropriate only when a legislature fails to reapportion * * * The problem involved then is one of judicially remedying a malapportioned voting scheme without judicially interfering with recognized legislative functions and responsibilities.

Ours is historically and fundamentally a triune government of co-ordinate but necessarily separate departments. Our Constitution and traditions, appreciating Montesquieu’s concern that a separation of powers is required in order that liberty of the people might be preserved, delegated to each department of government — executive, legislative and judicial —certain functions and responsibilities. Accordingly, we are conditioned to scrupulously reviewing possible invasions by one government department of the functions of still another department. The fact that a federal court and a state legislature are involved hardly warrants a digression from this fundamental principle.

A second and for the most part legally esoteric though necessarily related problem concerns the possibility that courts in redressing malapportionment situations might exceed the bounds of traditional equitable remedies. Inveterately courts of equity in properly finding legislation to be constitutionally invalid have enjoined the continued use of such legislation.

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Bluebook (online)
241 F. Supp. 715, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6355, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/germano-v-kerner-ilnd-1965.