Skip to main content

Barrett v. Neal, 1978-1983

 File

Scope and Contents

This 1978 case, referred to internally at the ACLU as the "Scott's Creek Voters Case," concerns evicted residents of Santa Cruz County, precinct 3002. The County Clerk and Registrar of Voters challenged their voter registration status and struck their names from election petitions, saying that they were not "domiciled" in precinct 3002. The plaintiffs wanted to vote in the June 6, 1978 election, and believed that they were being discriminated against and that they were being denied equal protection under both the California Constitution and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. They sought to have their right to vote reinstated, as well as an award of attorney's fees, due to the substantial benefit that would be conferred on a large class of persons if the case was won. Indeed, much of the case dealt with this issue of attorney's fees. The ACLU argued in favor of rewarding them under the Voting Rights Act of 1975. They also question whether "domicile for voting purposes can be challenged on the basis of an eviction alone," particularly if the evicted parties intended, or hoped, to continue to live there.

The outcome of this case is not known.

Dates

  • 1978-1983

Access Restrictions

Some case files in this series are restricted.

Extent

From the Sub-Series: 42.5 linear feet (33 record storage cartons and 3 legal document boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the California Historical Society Repository

Contact:
678 Mission Street
San Francisco CA 94105