Montano v. Lee

298 F. Supp. 865, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7529
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedJune 7, 1967
DocketCiv. A. No. 11238
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 298 F. Supp. 865 (Montano v. Lee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Montano v. Lee, 298 F. Supp. 865, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7529 (D. Conn. 1967).

Opinion

[866]*866MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

CLARIE, District Judge.

The Court retained jurisdiction of this litigation on March 24, 1966, when it granted partial summary judgment to the plaintiffs and found the legislative apportionment of the Board of Aldermen of the City of New Haven to be unconstitutional. 298 F.Supp. 862. At that time, the distribution of representation failed to conform to the requirements of equal representation, “one man, one vote”, as established by the United States Supreme Court in Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533; 84 S.Ct. 1362, 12 L.Ed.2d 506 (1964), and companion cases. Proceedings were stayed to afford the defendants an opportunity to voluntarily redistrict the wards of the City by legislative means to meet minimal constitutional standards.

On March 17, 1967, a Special Act of the Connecticut General Assembly, Cities and Boroughs Committee Bill #1787, became law. 33 Sp.Acts 1967, p. 20. It purported to establish thirty (30) aider-manic wards rather than the thirty-three (33) that formerly existed. Section 2(a) of the Act stated the overall purpose and intent of the Act, when it expressly provided that the plan should be consistent with federal constitutional standards. It declared that each ward should be wholly contained in one state assembly district and established a method by which the boundaries could be revamped and the number increased or decreased, should the state assembly districts be subsequently changed.1 The application of this Special Act was to become effective at the next city election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November 1967 and thereafter.

The thirty (30) new wards grouped by assembly districts, Conn.Gen.Stat. ch. 142, § 9-10c, together with a census of their respective populations, as expressed in the last official federal census of 1960, are as follows: 2

Variances - highest and lowest

District 104 wards_

No. 1 ...... 5,923

No. 2 ...... 5,300 13.9%

No. 3 ...... 5,197

16,420

District 105

No. 4 ...... 5,431

No. 5 ...... 5,148 7.8%

No. 6 ...... 5,552

16,131

District 106

No. 7 ......4,010

No. 8 ...... 5,780 44.13%

No. 9 ...... 5,480

15,270

[867]*867District 107

No. 10 ...... 4,580

No. 11 ...... 4,745 3.6%

No. 12 ...... 4,595

13,920

District 108

No. 13 ...... 4,425

No. 14 ...... 4,992 28.15%

No. 15 ...... 5,671

15,088

District 109

No. 16 ......4,763

No. 17 ...... 4,497 9.74%

No. 18 ...... 4,340

13,600

District 110

No. 19 ...... 4,979

No. 20 ...... 4,868 11.06%

No. 21 ...... 4,483

14,330

District 111

No. 22 ...... 5,050

No. 23 ...... 5,380 13.2%

No. 24 ...... 4,750

15,180

District 112

No. 25 ...... 6,186

No. 26 ...... 6,445 4.18%

No. 27 ...... 6,198

18,829

District 113

No. 28 ...... 4,471

No. 29 ...... 3,996 11.88%

No. 30 ...... 4,402

12,869

It is to be noted that this plan for aldermanic redistricting divided each of the ten (10) legislative assembly districts into three wards, in such a manner that each would be wholly contained within one district, for the purported purpose of simplifying the election machinery and permitting the use of uniform voting lists. The plan intended that each aldermanic ward unit should represent a specific neighborhood, in preference to electing a multiple number of aldermen-at-large for each district or for the city at-large.

The special legislative act was conceived within the framework of the state assembly districts approved in Butter-worth v. Dempsey, 229 F.Supp. 754 (D. Conn.1964). While claiming general parity within these districts, the defendants concede that all wards are not proportionately equal.3 Assembly District 112 (18,829) is 1.46 times as large as District 113 (12,869) and 1.38 times as large as District 109 (13,600). They admit also that Ward 8 (5,780) is 1.44 times the proportion of Ward No. 7 (4,-010) and that Ward No. 15 (5,671) is 1.28 times the population of Ward No. 13 (4,425). The smallest ward, No. 29 (3,-996) is 61% less than Ward No. 26 (6,445), yet each is entitled to equal representation, one alderman. Thus, in percentage proportion, the valid voting strength of Ward No. 26 is lessened by 61% on the board when compared with that of Ward No. 29. The defendants explain these differences, by claiming that physical and geographic factors such as railroad tracks, the Quinnipiac River, and adjacent town boundary lines considered within the already established pattern of state legislative assembly districts, constitute significant and justifiable reasons to warrant exceptions to the overall policy of equality.

The plaintiffs contend that any attempt to redistricting by using the present assembly districts as a pattern would be unconstitutional, because of the population inbalance already built in to the legislative districts as originally constituted. Their present position is directly contrary to their previous representation [868]*868before this Court, namely, that the Alder-manic Board should consist of ten (10) members, one from each assembly district. It is also directly in conflict with the plan which the plaintiffs proposed to the Charter Revision Commission, namely, a board of twenty (20) members, two from each assembly district.4

On May 22, 1967, the United States Supreme Court decided four cases on matters parallel to the issues raised here. Although it reserved the question of whether the apportionment of municipal legislative agencies was governed by Reynolds v. Sims, it stated “we assume arguendo that it (did apply) is.” Dusch v. Davis, 387 U.S. 112, 87 S.Ct. 1554, 18 L.Ed.2d 656 (U.S. May 22, 1967) (No. 724). While the Supreme Court did not apply the requirement “that each legislator, State or municipal, represent a reasonably like number in population,” it set forth the reasons for its distinction in that case, thereby indicating its recognition and adherence to the validity of the principle.

“Each of the 11 councilmen is elected by a vote of all the electors in the city. The fact that each of the seven councilmen must be a resident of the borough from which he is elected, is not fatal. * * *
“By analogy the present consolidation plan uses boroughs in the city ‘merely as the basis of residence for candidates, not for voting or representation.’ He is nonetheless the city’s, not the borough’s, councilman.

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Related

Montano v. Lee
298 F. Supp. 871 (D. Connecticut, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
298 F. Supp. 865, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/montano-v-lee-ctd-1967.