On April 16, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Perryman v Democratic National Committee, 06-1107. The case had been filed by an African-American minister who lives in Washington state. He had charged that the Democratic Party between 1792 and 1965 had engaged in a pattern of overt, systematic racism against African-Americans, and he wanted an apology and damages. The lower courts had dismissed his case on standing grounds.