NATION IN BRIEF : TENNESSEE : Federal Suit Attacks City’s Election Rules

The Justice Department filed suit to set aside the election system of Memphis, Tenn., a system the department charged was designed to dilute the strength of black voters. Six of the 13 City Council members are selected in at-large elections while the rest are chosen from individual districts. Two of nine school board seats are chosen in at-large elections. If all 13 City Council members were elected from “fairly drawn, single-member districts,” black voters would constitute a majority in at least six of the districts, and black voters would hold majorities in at least four of the school board districts if the entire board were elected from districts, the lawsuit said.