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Voting Rights Lawsuit: Court Documents, 1985-1986

 File — Box: 1, Folder: 1
Identifier: Folder 1

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

Records and newspaper clippings related to the case Frank McNeil et al vs. the City of Springfield et al, known as the Springfield Voting Rights Lawsuit, heard in U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois in 1984-1987. The plaintiffs argued that Springfield's commission form of government was racially exclusive and violated the voting rights of minority residents in the city. The court ruled for the plaintiffs, resulting in the reorganization of the city's government in the aldermanic model and the defeat of Springfield mayor Mike Houston.

Includes photocopies of court documents from the case McNeil vs. City of Springfield and related actions; copies of exhibits used in the case, including maps, and demographic, voting and census data on the distribution of races in Springfield and their historical voting behavior; notes, correspondence and a class project on the case; and an collection of newspaper clippings, 1984-1987, from the Illinois State Journal-Register and other newspapers on the issue.

Dates

  • Created: 1985-1986

Conditions Governing Access

None

Extent

From the Collection: 0.66 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the UIS Archives/Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Archives/Special Collections LIB 144
One University Plaza, MS BRK 140
Springfield IL 62703-5407 US
217-206-6520