- Collection:
- Reflections on Georgia Politics oral history collection, 2006-2010
- Title:
- Laughlin McDonald, 06 February 2012.
- Creator:
- McDonald, Laughlin
Short, Bob, 1932 - Contributor to Resource:
- Short, Bob, 1932-
- Date of Original:
- 2012-02-06
- Subject:
- United States
American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia
Voting Rights Act of 1965 (United States)
Civil rights movements--United States--History
Civil rights movements--Georgia
Apportionment (Election law)--Georgia
Racism--Georgia
Segregation--Georgia
Apportionment (Election law)
Civil rights movements
Racism
Segregation
Georgia - People:
- Jordan, Vernon E. (Vernon Eulion), Jr., 1935-2021
McDonald, Laughlin
Morgan, Charles, 1930-2009 - Location:
- United States, 39.76, -98.5
United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
interviews - Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Laughlin McDonald discusses growing up in Winnsboro, South Carolina. He recalls the segregated South and reflects on his decision to attend Columbia University. McDonald discusses being drafted and serving at Fort Jackson. He recalls his time in infantry school and in officer training. McDonald recalls attending law school in South Carolina and subsequently at the University of Virginia. He discusses his intention of becoming an attorney but ultimately working with the ACLU and Charles "Chuck" Morgan. McDonald recalls being offered a job at the ACLU and recalls the history of the organization. He recalls his involvement in desegregating Southern juries, the process of selecting ACLU cases, and with the Reynolds v. Simms voting rights case. McDonald discusses how he was not involved in the Civil Rights Movement but recalls his impressions of Atlanta and Vernon Jordan and the Southern Rights Council. He comments on the state of the federal judiciary, the influence of politics on cases and the influence of the Civil rights acts on national politics. McDonald reflects on current voting methods and discusses sections 2 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act. He discusses reapportionment, gerrymandering, and voting ID requirements. McDonald reflects on the origin of his inspirations, his book Voting Rights Odyssey and the legacy of struggle for rights.
Laughlin McDonald has been director of the Atlanta-based Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union since 1972. Prior to that he was in private practice and taught at the University of North Carolina Law School. He has represented racial and language minorities in numerous discrimination cases and specialized in the area of voting rights. He has argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, testified frequently before Congress, and written for scholarly and popular publications on civil liberties issues. His most recent books are A Voting Rights Odyssey: Black Enfranchisement in Georgia, and American Indians and the Fight for Equal Voting Rights. He is a South Carolina native, received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1960, and a LL. B from the University of Virginia in 1965.
Finding aid available in repository.
Interviewed by Bob Short. - Metadata URL:
- http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL220ROGP-132/ohms
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule.
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Collection, ROGP 132, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
- Extent:
- 1 interview (103 min.) : sd., col.
- Original Collection:
- Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Collection
http://sclfind.libs.uga.edu/sclfind/view?docId=ead/RBRL220ROGP.xml - Contributing Institution:
- Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
- Rights:
-
