Wesberry v. Sanders

376 U.S. 1 (1964)

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Wesberry v. Sanders

United States Supreme Court
376 U.S. 1 (1964)

  • Written by Heather Whittemore, JD

Facts

In 1931 Georgia (defendant) created 10 electoral districts to elect Georgia’s members of the United States House of Representatives. The Fifth Congressional District, made up of areas in and around Atlanta, had a population of almost 824,000 people, but the average population of the 10 districts was around 394,000. A group of voters in the Fifth District (collectively, the voters) (plaintiffs) challenged Georgia’s apportionment scheme, arguing that it violated the United States Constitution by discriminating against voters in the Fifth District through the unequal populations among the districts. The voters argued that the scheme diluted the votes of those in the Fifth District and violated the principle of one person, one vote. The federal district court held that the 1931 Georgia apportionment scheme was unconstitutional. Georgia appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Black, J.)

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