Findlaw has posted this very important column. The authors are Kristen Clarke-Avery and M. David Gelfand. It includes the following biographical note: “Kristen Clarke-Avery is a civil rights attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. She has handled a number of voting rights cases, redistricting matters and election-related issues in Louisiana and other parts of the country. The views expressed in this column are her own and do not necessarily reflect the policies, positions or views of the Department of Justice or the United States. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Tragically, M. David Gelfand passed away recently. He was the Ashton Phelps Chair and Professor of Constitutional Law at Tulane Law School. He was also the President of the newly formed From the Lake to the River: The New Orleans Coalition for Legal Aid & Disaster Relief, which will be providing services to New Orleans victims of Hurricane Katrina (wherever they are) and playing a watchdog/oversight role with respect to the federal government’s relief funds and efforts. The website for the Coalition can be found at FromtheLaketotheRiver.org.”