McGill v. Ryals (253 F. Supp. 374, 1966)

JOHNSON, District Judge.

Plaintiffs, who are Negroes, sue individually and, pursuant to Rule 23(a), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, on behálf of all Negro citizens eligible to vote in Lowndes County, Alabama.

Jurisdiction is conferred on this Court by §§ 1343 and 1344, Title 28, U.S.C., and §§ 1971, 1981, and 1983, Title 42, u.s.c.

Plaintiffs allege an array of constitutional violations which collectively, they assert, have enabled the minority white population to seize and retain all the political power of Lowndes County, Alabama, and thereby exclude the Negro population from participation in the administration of County affairs or the selection of its government. Specifically, plaintiffs allege that they have been denied their rights contrary to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, and the congressional enactments designed to effectuate those amendments.

The relief prayed for is as follows: