Cleo Fields

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. I would ask the gentlewoman, which would be the most segregated districts of the two?

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. So if this district would be declared unconstitutional and segregate voters, then one would have to just make the fair assumption that this district would have to follow under the same rules and regulations; would you not agree to that?

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Without question. If you look at the Fourth Congressional District from Tennessee and the Fourth Congressional District of Louisiana--as a matter of fact, I am going to try to see if I can put the two districts side by side. I mean these two districts, if you look at the two districts side by side, you see that these two districts do not look too much different from each other. I mean, this is the Fourth Congressional District. The only difference is this district is much more diverse than the 11th Congressional District in Tennessee. This district in Tennessee is 96 percent white; this district is 45 percent white, 55 percent black. The only difference is, if you want to look at it from an appearance perspective, is this district is more diverse than the Fourth Congressional District in Tennessee, and it amazes me tonight that this district would be in question as an unconstitutional district simply because it is majority minority.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Without question, and I am glad the gentlewoman makes that distinction. I mean, I am certainly not being critical of the Fourth District of Tennessee. I feel it is a beautiful district, because first of all, it is not a beauty contest we are in today in terms of determining how districts look, because none of them look like perfect squares and perfect circles, they all look like animal cookies, if you really want to know the truth. The fact of the matter is this district encompasses urban and rural Tennessee, I mean it moves to Kentucky, so when people talk about the Fourth Congressional District of Louisiana and other majority minority districts in this country, they ought to look at some of the majority districts in this country and see that those districts are no better than the majority minority.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. That is right. This in my opinion is very much constitutional, it should stand in any court of law. No one should challenge this district, because this district was the district that was drawn by the State legislature in the State of Tennessee, and it ought to be upheld and not challenged. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Jackson-Lee.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the gentlewoman a [[Page H 6652]] few questions. I am going to place on the top of district No. 4 district No. 11, which is the district that the court ruled as being an unconstitutional district, the 11th District of Georgia. From an appearance perspective, would the gentlewoman agree with me that both of these districts pretty much look irregular, if you want to use the term irregular?

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Let me ask the gentlewoman another question.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. I think the gentlewoman makes a very good point. One of the problems that we have in this country is how we integrate the institutions of power, the institutions that make decisions. How do we integrate this institution that we call the U.S. Congress, the House of Representatives? You know, in one State, when one uses the term House of Representatives it connotes representatives of the people. I just have the view that when one puts a mirror in front of the U.S. House of Representatives it ought to represent to some degree the citizens of the United States of America. And if the court continues to go on the trend it is going on today, it is going to eliminate many of the majority-minority districts in this Congress, which means that you would not be able to see the kind of representation in this Congress that you see outside of this Congress, and that is among the American people. I think it is encouraging to see Hispanics in the U.S. Congress and African-Americans and women in the U.S. Congress. I think that is what representation is all about. but we are clearly going to have a problem in obtaining a good representation of this country right here in the Halls of Congress if we continue to eliminate districts like the district from Georgia and other districts that are majority-minority districts. I want the gentlewoman to bear with me a moment. I have a few more maps I want to show here, because this is, in my opinion, very important. I am now placing on the easel the Third Congressional District from the State of Tennessee, which was created in 1990. This district is 87 percent majority. Now, if the 11th Congressional District of Georgia, which is 60 percent minority, is unconstitutional, I can't see much difference between the 11th Congressional in Tennessee, other than this district is much more diverse than the Third Congressional District in Tennessee. So I just think the Court is about to open up the floodgates of litigation as the gentlewoman knows, if they continue to go on the this trend of judging districts based on their appearance and not judging districts based on any real constitutional standard. Because none of these districts can win a beauty contest, and I do not think that is the purpose of the Voting Rights Act, and I do not think there is anything in the Constitution of the United States of America that says that a district must look a certain way. I just find it ironic that the United States Supreme Court will take the amendment that was used to protect minority voters, the 14th amendment of the Constitution and the equal protection clause, and instead of using that as a shield to continue to protect minority voters, they use it as a award to insure the. I just find that to be hard to believe today, that the court would make that kind of ruling

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. I am happy to yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. I thank the gentlewoman for that analogy. I mean the gentlewoman has done such a great job here in this Congress for the people that she represents back in Georgia and it would be just, in my opinion, a big calamity for the many people in Georgia to lose a Representative like you. That is why the point of shape should be such a nonfactor, to even opine a thought that a gentlewoman like you might not be able to serve in this body simply because the district looks a certain way. In my opinion, I agree with you, I think the district is absolutely beautiful. First of all, there is no constitutional standard for beauty. I have read through and through the Constitution and I have not seen any beauty contest requirement for the shape of a district. One of the reasons for that is because the districts, I mean the States are not perfect squares and perfect circles. You take the State of Louisiana, for example, it is shaped like a boot. So you cannot get a perfect district out of the State of Louisiana when the State itself does not, is not a perfect square or a perfect circle, but I think the State of Louisiana is a beautiful State. I take issue with anybody who would say the State of Louisiana is not a beautiful-looking State. I am proud of that boot shape of the State of Louisiana, because it is not how the shape of the State looks, it is what is within the State. We have great people within the State of Louisiana. Let me, if the gentlewoman would bear with me just for a moment, I know the gentlewoman has been up all night representing her constituents.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Two nights in a row on the floor of this House not being able to go to sleep, not one ounce.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Not 10 minutes and still on the floor tonight fighting for the damned, the doomed, the disenchanted, the have-nots, and I just want to commend the gentlewoman from Georgia for just being here, because she has often said the issue is not whether or not Cynthia McKinney will serve another day in Congress, but the issue is whether or not a person like Cynthia McKinney will have the opportunity to serve in Congress. These are not guaranteed districts, these are opportunity districts. I want the gentlewoman to look at the Sixth District of Chicago. This district is in existence today. This district is represented by a very able Member of this body. I would dare not say that this Member of Congress has not represented his constituents. This district is separated.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. This is not even contiguous. This district is separated not by water, not by some island, this district is separated by another district. If you look, another district, a congressional district actually runs in between this district and this little island here, which is a part of this district. Now, if this district, which is all contiguous, not one part of this district is noncontiguous, and this district, which is--let me give you the numbers of this district, 95.2 percent white.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. If this district here is unconstitutional according to the Supreme Court of the United States of America, then what do you think this district here is? You are talking about a district that is not even contiguous. There are three different islands on this district here, and this district here is certainly all intact and all contiguous.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. It would be absolute disruption. It would open up the floodgates of litigation. It would be unmanageable. If every one citizen in America who feels that their district does not look a certain way and will not pass any beauty contest runs to the courthouse and files a lawsuit, we are going to be dealing with this issue of reapportionment for a long period of time. That is why I think the courts must be very careful when they come down on these districts simply because they are majority-minority, one; and, two, they do not look a certain way and do not pass the course of beauty contests and fail to look at all these districts that are majority-majority districts, that do not look a certain way and do not fit into a perfect square, in a perfect box scenario or syndrome. Those districts which are overwhelmingly one race and not diverse, like these districts that the courts are making, calling unconstitutional, have to be subject to the same kind of scrutiny that these districts are subject to. I only have three more districts I would like to share with the gentlewoman because I know it is getting late in the hour.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. I would like to share with the gentlewoman just three more maps. I want to thank her for her patience. While we talk about appearance, I would like to share with the gentlewoman the 14th Congressional District of Texas. This was a 1920's. You can see that that district was not contiguous. It had an island, and that was not because of water, it was because another district actually ran between that district, and this district was actually created to disenfranchise minority groups. It was gerrymandered for the purpose of excluding minority groups, Hispanics and blacks, so that they would not be empowered and so that they would not be the majority, so that they could not elect a candidate of their choice. The courts saw absolutely nothing wrong with this district. Citizens did not file complaints, of course. But it just goes to show you how districts that look just like districts that are being declared unconstitutional are suspect, and the Supreme Court was very much constitutional in the past and in fact in the present. Now this next district I am about to show the gentlewoman is probably the one that I have the most fun with, to be quite honest with you, because if the 11th District of Georgia is irregular, according to the courts, then I would like to know what you call this district. Now, this is the Sixth District of Texas, Dallas, TX. This is one district and no one has filed a lawsuit in [[Page H 6654]] this district. Why? Because this district is not a majority-minority district. It is not Hispanic, it is not black. So I guess it is constitutional. But this district runs all over the place. I mean, they criticize a district in Louisiana saying it is only so wide. They criticize a district, the 12th Congressional District in North Carolina, represented by a very able Member of Congress, Mr. Watt. They said his district is as wide as an interstate. How wide is this district at certain points? Now, let us do a comparison test. Let us do a little beauty contest. This is the district that was declared by the Supreme Court in its infinite wisdom as being unconstitutional, the 11th District of Georgia, which is at the top, and there is the Sixth District of Texas at the bottom. Now, you tell me which district in your opinion, if you want to talk beauty. There is a portion of this district that is not even contiguous. As a matter of fact, there are three or four portions of this district that are not contiguous. Take this portion here which is not contiguous. This little island over here to the left is not contiguous. It just goes to show you you cannot develop an appearance standard to determine the constitutionality of a district. The last district, which is probably the district that started this whole term gerrymandering, is a district of Massachusetts. A very able member of this body, a person who works very hard, represents the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts. This district is the real district because it comes from the State that brought about the term gerrymander as a result of their great Governor at that time. This district is not under challenge. It is not a majority-minority district; it is a majority-majority district. A very able member of this body represents this district, represents his constituents well, and no one asks questions about the constitutionality of this district. It is just suspect to me that only districts that appear to be unconstitutional are districts that are majority-minority.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Just the other day in New York, I forgot what congressional district, but it is represented by a very able female member of this Congress.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. A Hispanic district.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. I thank the gentlewoman.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. First Puerto Rican American Congresswoman walking into the halls of Congress, now being challenged because her district looks a certain way, and it is majority Hispanic. I just thought we would take a few minutes tonight to talk about this. And I also wanted to tell you how much your leadership has meant to this body and will continue to mean to this body. Because I certainly have no plans of the gentlewoman leaving this body. But it really hurts me to my heart to know that the Supreme Court would rule that this beautiful district, this beautiful district, and to show you just how beautiful this district is, this absolute perfect beautiful district would be declared as an unconstitutional gerrymander, and this district here goes untouched. I want you to know that the people of Savannah and the people of all parts of Georgia who are under your great leadership, you know, have nothing to be ashamed of, and they ought to stick their chests out and be proud of the fact that they are members of this beautiful district. I do not know what will happen in the future, but people like you are the kind of people that this country needs to make this country really project what it talks about on a day-to-day basis and even tries to get other countries to talk about, and that is democracy. Because now when we put a mirror in front of this Congress and we see a Congresswoman, a gentlewoman like you, then there are people all across America who can poke their chests out and say I am proud to be an American and I am proud to be in America because our Congress, our House of Representatives, is inclusive and not exclusive. On a closing note, while people talk about the number of minority Members who are now Members of Congress and they talk about this uproar and this increase in numbers, there are only 40 black Members in the whole U.S. Congress, not the House of Representatives, mind you, but in the entire U.S. Congress. That is the House and the Senate.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. There are 535 House and Senate Members, and of the 535 House and Senate Members, there are only 40 blacks. For anyone to even opine the thought that these Members are here because they were guaranteed some safety or were guaranteed seats, is absolutely wrong. The only thing they were guaranteed was an opportunity, and that was an opportunity to be able to plead their case before voters in the most diverse districts in the whole United States of America. And it really frightens me today that this court would find the most diverse district in the country as a district that may be unconstitutional, and it really falls square. I mean, it just falls square on the shoulders and slaps the Voting Rights Act in its face, and it also slaps those people who have worked so hard, those people who have worked so hard to fight for the passage of the Voting Rights Act, people like Martin Luther King, people like Thurgood Marshall and people like President Kennedy, I mean, people who just gave it all to make sure that this Congress would reflect this country. And I want to thank the gentlewoman for her willingness to come here tonight after being up for 2 nights in row and standing on the floor of this House and talking about a significant issue like reapportionment.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commend President Clinton for his leadership in vetoing the mean-spirited rescission bill that passed this body. It is unbelievable that our President has to use his first veto on a bill to stand up for our children and our future. Investing in our children with programs like Goals 2000, Safe and Drug Free Schools, AmeriCorps, and School to Work Programs promote the betterment of our country. Drastically reducing funds which go toward educating our children sends a bad signal to the rest of the world, telling them, we do not want to be competitive in the next century, we do not want to train our children to be the best that they can be, we do not want drug education in our schools. We need to stop this nonsense of cutting $16 billion in domestic aid that affect our children at home and turning around to authorize $16 billion for foreign aid for people abroad. Again, I commend President Clinton for vetoing this ill-advised rescissions bill.

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana

Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, today I take special pride in recognizing a very outstanding constituent of mine. She is a 19-year- old professional tennis player from Lafayette, LA. I speak of no other than Chanda Rubin, daughter of Judge and Mrs. Edward D. Rubin. I am proud to say that Chanda Rubin just completed her best ever grand slam performance at the French Open. Although Chanda fell short to the defending champion in the quarterfinals yesterday, she proved to be a tough fighter. Her courage has touched the lives of many individuals, particularly young people, across this Nation. I commend Chanda for her hard work and I wish her the best of luck in the future.