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Simply because one of Alabamas apportionment plans resembled the Federal set up of a House comprised of representatives based on population, and a Senate comprised of an equal number of representatives from each State does not mean that such a system is appropriate in a State legislature. In the landmark case of Reynolds v. Sims, which concerned representation in state legislatures, the outcome was based on the Fourteenth Amendment requirement that, "Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers." All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. The political question doctrine states that, when it is invoked, that a case is unable to be settled in the court of law if the issue it addresses stems from an essence that is merely political in its nature. Alabamas states constitution which was adopted in 1900 specified that states legislative districts be apportioned according to population for the basis of representation. The case was decided on June 15, 1964. The Supreme Court began what came to be known as the reapportionment revolution with its opinion in the 1962 case, Baker v. Carr. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. In Reynolds v. Sims (1964), using the Supreme Court's precedent set in Baker v.Carr (1962), Warren held that representation in state legislatures must be apportioned equally on the basis of population rather than geographical areas, remarking that "legislators represent people, not acres or trees." In Miranda v. Arizona (1966)a landmark decision of the Warren court's rulings on . Ballotpedia features 395,557 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Reynolds v. Sims Summary & Significance - study.com Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, Inc. Monell v. Department of Social Services of the City of New York, Will v. Michigan Department of State Police, Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community, Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee. Terms of Use, Reynolds v. Sims - "legislators Represent People, Not Trees", Law Library - American Law and Legal Information, Notable Trials and Court Cases - 1963 to 1972, Reynolds v. Sims - Significance, "legislators Represent People, Not Trees", The Census, Further Readings. All rights reserved. This meant the rule could be settled by the Supreme Court with some certainty. The court also ruled in Wesberry v. Sanders that when votes weigh more in one district than another, the idea of a representative democracy is undermined. State senate districts must have roughly equal populations based on the principle of "one person, one vote". Justice Tom Clark wrote a concurring opinion which was joined by no other justice. [1], The Supreme Court decided 8-1 to affirm the decision of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. A case that resulted in a one person, one vote ruling and upheld the 14th Amendments equal protection clause. 23. The district courts judgement was affirmed, Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the opinion of the court. Under the Court's new decree, California could be dominated by Los Angeles and San Francisco; Michigan by Detroit. During the same legislative session, lawmakers also adopted the Crawford-Webb Act, a temporary measure that provided for reapportionment in the event that the constitutional amendment was defeated by voters or struck down by the courts. 'And still again, after the adoption of the fourteenth amendment, it was deemed necessary to adopt . Reynolds v. Sims | law case | Britannica Voters from Jefferson County, Alabama challenged the apportionment structure of their State House and Senate, which required each county to have at least one representative, regardless of size. The case of Reynolds v. Sims was initially argued November 13, 1963, but a decision on this case was not reached until June 15, 1964. Amendments Equal protection clause of the U.S constitution. Voters in several Alabama counties sought a declaration that the States legislature did not provide equal representation of all Alabama citizens. He said that the decision evolved from the courts ruling in Gray v. Sanders that mandated political equality means one person one vote. Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Tech, n.d. May 2, 2016. John W. McCONNELL, Jr., et al., Appellants, v. Agnes BAGGETT, Secretary of State of Alabama et al", "Reapportionment--I "One Man, One Vote" That's All She Wrote! Redistricting and the Supreme Court: The Most Significant Cases Legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities or economic interests. Legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities or economic interests. Who Was The Attorney For Reynolds V Sims Why it matters: The Supreme Court's decision in this case established that state legislative districts should be made up of equal populations. In Reynolds v. United States, 98 U.S. 145 (1879), the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a federal law prohibiting polygamy did not violate the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. The districts adhered to existing county lines. v. Abbott, Governor of Texas. The Court had already extended "one person, one vote" to all U.S. congressional districts in Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) a month before, but not to the Senate. Significance: Reynolds v. Sims is famous for, and has enshrined, the "one person, one vote" principle. The district courts judgement was affirmed. The plaintiffs requested a declaration that "establishing the present apportionment of seats in the Alabama Legislature, were unconstitutional under the Alabama and Federal Constitutions, and an injunction against the holding of future elections for legislators until the legislature reapportioned itself in accordance with the State Constitution. Further, the District Courts remedy was appropriate because it gave the State an opportunity to fix its own system of apportionment. Several groups of voters, in separate lawsuits, challenged the constitutionality of the apportionment of the Alabama Legislature. Learn about the Supreme Court case, Reynolds v. Sims. Before a person can bring a suit against their government, he or she must have standing, which requires that: Once a person has standing, then the issue must be justiciable, which means that the issue before the court is not one of a purely political nature. Research: Josh Altic Vojsava Ramaj Warren, joined by Black, Douglas, Brennan, White, Goldberg, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 02:02. Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964) - Justia Law It should be noted that Alabamas legislative apportionment scheme gave more weight to citizens of some areas, mostly rural areas. Reynolds v. Sims (1964) Case Summary. Baker v. Carr: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact, The Civil Rights Act of 1866: History and Impact, Shaw v. Reno: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact, What Is A Poll Tax? Equal Protection as guaranteed by the 5th and 14th amendments require broadly that each person be treated equally in their voting power, but what equality means relies on a series of Supreme Court cases. The state constitution required at least . The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment mandates that individual states work to provide equal protection, which means that governing occurs without bias and that lone individual differences are unimportant when considering citizens. Having already overturned its ruling that redistricting was a purely political question in Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962), the Court ruled to correct what it considered egregious examples of malapportionment; these were serious enough to undermine the premises underlying republican government. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In response, the Court then applied the one person, one vote rule for redistricting and reapportionment issues. The District Courts remedy of temporary reapportionment was appropriate for purposes of the 1962 elections, and it allows for the reapportioned legislature a chance to find a permanent solution for Alabama. Especially since the right to exercise the franchise in a free and unimpaired manner is preservative of other basic civil and political rights, any alleged infringement of the right of citizens to vote must be carefully and meticulously scrutinized. "Reynolds v. Sims: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact." Once you finish this lesson, you should be able to: Once you finish this lesson, you should be able to: Give the year that Reynolds v. Reynolds v. Sims (1964) - Rose Institute Did the state of Alabama discriminate against voters in counties with higher populations by giving them the same number of representatives as smaller counties? This is the issue the Supreme Court faced in Reynolds v. Sims (1964). And the right of suffrage can be denied by a debasement or dilution of the weight of a citizen's vote just as effectively as by wholly prohibiting the free exercise of the franchise. http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/377/533.html, Wesberry v. Sanders. Oyez. Reynolds alleged that Jefferson County had grown considerably while other counties around it hadn't, which created an unequal apportionment since Jefferson County had the same number of representatives as the other counties. In this lesson, we will learn if a voter has a right to equal representation under the U.S. Constitution. If the 14th Amendment rights of Alabama residents were being violated due to the unequally proportioned representatives in different legislative districts in Alabama. Reynolds v. Sims is a famous legal case that reached the United States Supreme Court in 1964. v. Varsity Brands, Inc. 2. Warren held that "legislators represent people, not trees or acres. O'Gorman & Young, Inc. v. Hartford Fire Insurance Co. Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.