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.