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NEWS/ilJe Ctartottf JfoM
Tuesday, May 4, 2006
Legislators back rights extension
Continued from page 1A
• Section 5, which requires
jxuisdictions with a history of
discrimination in voting to
get federal pre-clearance of
any new voting practices or
procedures before they may
be implemented;
• Section 203, the bi-lingual
ballot provisions that ensure
that some citizens with limit
ed Enghsh proficiency are
able to read ballots in a lan
guage they can understand;
and
• Sections 6-9, which
authorize the Attorney
General to appoint federal
election observQ:^ whae he
finds evidence of attempts to
intimidate minority voters at
the polls or prevent them
fi'om exerdsing their right to
vote fieely
Watt praised fellow CBC
member John Lewis (D-Ga.)
who “led the movement that
resulted in tiie passage of the
original Voting Rights Act in
1965 and has
once again been
the moral force
and leader in
the introduction
of today’s bipar
tisan bill-
“The vote is
precious,
Lewis almost sacred,”
Lewis said. “It
is the most powerful non-vio-
■ lent tool we have in a democ
racy We gather here today in
this bi-partisan, bi-cameral
way to affirm its importance
and openly commit to reau
thorize the Voting Rights
Act.”
The House Subcommittee
on the Constitution has held
10 hearings to receive oral
and written testimony fix)m
witnesses, including support-
^ and opponents of reautho
rization. The hearings exam
ined the efiectiveness of each
of Ihe expiring provisions in
remedying discrimination
and protecting minority vot
ers over the last 25 years, as
well as their continued need
going forward.
”The comprehensive record
established by the
Committee strongly supports
reautiioiization of the VRA
and I believe this record will
be vitally important in ensur
ing that the resulting legisla
tion can withstand an almost
certain constitutional chal
lenge,” said Rep. F. James
Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.),
House Judiciary Committee
Chairman.
While progress has been
made, vestiges of discrimina
tion are stiU present in cer
tain parts of the country, law-
maka^ say
””Our journey toward equal
voting rights
stiU requires
extreme vigi
lance on the,
part of
Cor^ress,” said
Rep. John
Conyers, the
ranking
Democrat on
the House
Committee.
“However, this day is a trib
ute to those brave individuals
of all races who risked Iheir
lives to pursue the simple
right of all Americans to par
ticipate in thdr government,
as well as an assurance that
the right to vote remains
solid law.”
Conyers
Judiciary
Family members officially protest Parks’ will
Parks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT - Lawyers for 12
nieces and nephews of civil
rights icon
Rosa Parks
have filed an
official objec
tion to her will.
The family
members, who
have been feud
ing for years
with the people
Parks appoint
ed to handle her affairs, filed
the legal challenge Friday
They had until Simday to
make the objection in ord^ to
proceed with their case. .
“We still are very open to
talk settlement in this case, if
for no other reason than both
sides have a deep respect for
Ms. Parks,” Frederick Tbca
Jr, a lawyer for the family
members, said Monday
A pretrial conference is set
for May 9 before Wayne
County Probate Judge
Freddie G. Burton Jr.
Parks’ family members
have said tiiey started legal
proceedings in December to
protect her legacy in a fight
for control of the legal ri^ts
to use Parks’ name, photos
and other yet-to-be-deter
mined intellectual property
that rises fiom her stature as
an American civil ri^ts icon.
In the legal complaint,
lawyers alleged that Parks’
longtime fiiend Elaine Steele,
who handled her affairs,
exerted undue influence over
Parks.
They said Parks was sub
jected to threats, misrepre
sentations and coercion to
overpower her fi'ee will. They
also said Parks was suffering
fiom a mental condition that
caused her to not understand
her estate and assets at the
time the wfll was dated in
1998.
But an estate planning
lawyer said Parks was in full
control of her mental facul
ties when the will was signed
in 1998.
‘1 think the allegations are
totally, without merit,” Jon
Gandelot told the Detroit
Free Press. “I met with Mi^.
Parks for a period of several
hours, and there is no ques
tion that she was not under
any mental incapacity I ques
tioned her at length, and she
knew what she wanted.”
Parks’ relatives, all sons
and daughters of Parks’
brother, Sjivester, have said
Steele and retired Detroit
Judge Adam Shakoor have
misused their aimt’s name
since she gave them control of
her affairs, about the same
time she began suffering
fiom dementia.
Parks died in October at
ags 92 in Detroit, where she
had lived since 1957.
Relatives also have com
plained about Parks’ repre
sentatives suing the Atlanta-
based hip-hop duo OutKast
and its record company for $5
billion over the use of her
name in a song. Parks, they
said, would never have sued
for such an outlandish sum.
Shakoor has said he and
Stede sued OutKast because
the song’s lyrics are derisive
to women, something that
Parks would never allow in
her presence.
The lawsuit was settled last
year for an undisclosed
amount.
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