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June 15,1964

June 15,1964. Reynolds v. Sims. By: Ashlyn M. Rising. Facts.

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June 15,1964

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  1. June 15,1964 Reynolds v. Sims By: Ashlyn M. Rising

  2. Facts • In 1961, Sims and other voters in Jefferson County, Alabama brought suit against Reynolds and the State of Alabama in federal district court arguing that the last apportionment of the Alabama legislature was based on the 1900 federal census. • The Alabama Constitution said that each county was entitled to at least one representative and that there were to be as many senatorial districts as there were senators.

  3. ........More Facts!!! • The challengers claimed discrimination against voters in counties whose populations that had grown proportionally far more than others since the 1900 census. • Population variance ratios of as great as 41-to-1 existed in the Senate. • There was an 8-1 majority vote.

  4. Constitutional Issue • The Constitutional issue was whether or not it violated the • Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

  5. Supreme Court Ruling • The Supreme Court ruled in the Reynolds v. Sims case, that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that the legislative districts across states be equal in population.

  6. Majority Opinion • The majority opinion was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren • Chief Justice Earl Warren, in his majority opinion, made clear that the Court had no choice but to step in because the Alabama legislature had refused to reapportion itself, leaving the citizens with few viable options. • He emphasized that "Legislators represent people, not trees or acres. Legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities or economic interests." To permit the minority to have power over the majority would be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.

  7. Dissenting Opinion • In the Reynolds v. Sims case John Marshall Harlan II had the • dissenting opinion. • He said that the Equal Protection Clause was never intended to • encompass voting rights. • He also claimed that the Constitution did not require states to adhere to the one man, one vote principle, and that the Court was merely imposing its own political theories on the nation.

  8. Landmark Case???? • YES – because almost every state had to redraw its legislative districts, and power shifted from rural to urban areas.

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