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Beer v. United States

United States Supreme Court

425 U.S. 130 (1976)

Facts

In 1960, the New Orleans city council proposed Plan II, a redistricting scheme for the city. The attorney general rejected the plan, claiming that its implementation would result in vote dilution. However, Plan II would have created three majority African American districts. Two of these districts would have contained African American population majorities. The remaining district would have contained an African American voting majority. This contrasted with earlier districting, in which only one district had an African American majority. Moreover, Plan II would have likely resulted in at least one African American elected to the city council. No African American served on the New Orleans city council in the prior districting scheme. The district court ruled that Plan II dilutes the African American vote. At the time that this case reached the Court, New Orleans had not implemented it.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Stewart, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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