SCOTUS: Baker v. Carr

Facts

• 1962: Tennessee hadn’t redrawn districts in over 60 years because its laws technically only required one
  • SCOTUS had decided that redistricting questions could not be ruled on
• Populations had exploded in urban areas and lessened in rural areas
• Those in rural areas therefore had more power in their vote compared to those in urban areas

Constitutional Principle

• Equal Protection clause of fourteenth amendment
• No state shall make or enforce a law denying equal protection
  • Deals with equal protection of state
• States were not equally protected because of uneven representation
• Makes it justiciable

Decision

• Issues of reapportionment were justiciable and could therefore rule on stuff like this

Why it Matters

• Established one person one vote
  • Requires states to reapportion reps in a way equally representing all the people so no votes counted for more than any other votes
• Fundamentally altered political representation across the US
  • States had to redraw districts to ensure that rural votes weren’t more powerful than urban votes
• Got SCOTUS involved in political questions and expanded jurisdiction
  • Established test to ensure that not all cases were taken