Baker V Carr and Shaw V Reno SCOTUS Case Assignment

Baker v. Carr and Shaw v.
Reno
Redistricting and Gerrymandering Court Cases
Name: Abigail Shaver
Baker v. Carr – 1962
Use Oyez.org to fill in the information for the first 3 questions.
What is the basic background/facts Tennessee did not redraw it’s

for this case? district lines for almost 60 years
even though the population density
within the districts were changing.
What was the overall question for Does the Supreme Court have
the Supreme Court to answer? jurisdiction over redistricting and
legislation apportionment?
Describe the court’s decision in this The court decided that legislative
case and by what majority was it apportionment was an issue that
decided on? the national government could
concern itself with. This was
decided on by a ⅔ majority.
As we watch a Khan Academy video, answer the following questions.
According to the beginning of the Whether on persons vote is equal

video, what is the actual question to another persons vote?
to be answered by this case?
Prior to Baker v. Carr, how were Organized on a way based on

state legislatures organized and geography rather than population.
why was this disproportionate? Rural parts of states often
dominated state legislatures,
underrepresenting city voters.
When was the last time Tennessee 1901, The problem with this was that
redistricted and what was the many people had move from rural
problem with this? areas to urban areas and vice
versa, and the districts were no
longer proportionate.
What previous 1946 court case Colegrove v. Green dealt with

dealt with redistricting and what redistricting. This case stated that
was the result? the federal courts would not involve
themselves in any cases including
redistricting because they didn't
think they had the power in the
constitution to do so.
How does the equal protection The court changed it’s question
clause of the 14th amendment play from the one it initially asked to a
a role in the decision of Baker v. different one, “Can the court rule in
Carr? these cases?” and to decide this,
they cited the 14th amendment.
They did this through the Equal
Protection Clause and Due Process
Clause, but mostly the Equal
Protection Clause.
Shaw v. Reno - 1993
Use Oyez.org to fill in the information for the first 3 questions.
What is the basic background/facts North Carolina redistricted and

for this case? ended up creating one
black-majority district. After some
outrage, resubmitted another plan
with two black-majority districts,
both very oddly shaped. It was clear
that this was the effect of
gerrymandering.
What was the overall question for Were these districts

the Supreme Court to answer? gerrymandering? And were they an
issue under the 14th amendment,
under the equal protection clause?
Describe the court’s decision in this In a 5/4 decision, the court decided
case and by what majority was it that even though North Carolina’s
decided on? redistricting plans were for a good
reason, to give black people more
representation, the districts were
too oddly shaped to be justified.
Read through this article, answer the following questions.
What law did Attorney General Reno Voting Rights Act

cite as her reason for telling North
Carolina to add another
majority-minority district?
Explain the significance of the law This law banned any voting
from the question above in terms of practices with a discriminatory
voting but also in terms of effect. This means that things like
redistricting and Congress. gerrymandering would be
considered illegal under this law.
What were the dissenting opinions Majority voters can not prove that
(the judges against the majority) in they have been harmed by the
this case? redistricting process, and also that
the redistricting process was an
attempt to give minority votes a
voice, not a way to take their power
away.
How are the cases of Baker v. Carr Both of these cases deal with
and Shaw v. Reno similar and how congressional districts and states
are they different? either none redrawing boundaries
when they need to or redrawing
boundaries in a way that
potentially harms the people it is
supposed to help. Baker v Carr
however deals with the overall right
of the national government to
interfere with this, while Shaw v.
Reno deals with minority rights and
gerrymandering.

Baker V Carr and Shaw V Reno SCOTUS Case Assignment

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Baker V Carr and Shaw V Reno SCOTUS Case Assignment

Uploaded by

Baker v. Carr and Shaw v.

Name: Abigail Shaver

Baker v. Carr – 1962

Use Oyez.org to fill in the information for the first 3 questions.

What is the basic background/facts Tennessee did not redraw it’s

As we watch a Khan Academy video, answer the following questions.

According to the beginning of the Whether on persons vote is equal

Prior to Baker v. Carr, how were Organized on a way based on

What previous 1946 court case Colegrove v. Green dealt with

Shaw v. Reno - 1993

Use Oyez.org to fill in the information for the first 3 questions.

What is the basic background/facts North Carolina redistricted and

What was the overall question for Were these districts

Read through this article, answer the following questions.

What law did Attorney General Reno Voting Rights Act

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