Evenwel_v._Abbott

<i>Evenwel v. Abbott</i>

Evenwel v. Abbott

2016 United States Supreme Court case


Evenwel v. Abbott, 136 S. Ct. 1120 (2016), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the principle of one person, one vote, under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution allows states to use total population, not just total voting-eligible population, to draw legislative districts.[1]

Quick Facts Evenwel v. Abbott, Argued December 8, 2015 Decided April 4, 2016 ...

Background

The suit originated when Sue Evenwel and Edward Pfenninger filed suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, arguing that districts drawn based on total population dilute their vote compared to those in other Texas Senate districts. The district court dismissed the complaint for lack of a claim on which relief could be granted.[2]

The question presented to the Court was the following: "Whether the 'one-person, one-vote' principle of the Fourteenth Amendment creates a judicially enforceable right ensuring that the districting process does not deny voters an equal vote."[3]

Opinion of the Court

The Supreme Court affirmed the District Court and held that total population may be used in redistricting. It did not rule on whether states are permitted to base districts on the number of eligible voters, instead of the total population.[4][5]

See also

  • Edward Blum – director of Project on Fair Representation
  • Reynolds v. Sims – a United States Supreme Court case that ruled that state legislature districts had to be roughly equal in population.

References

  1. Evenwel v. Abbott, No. 14-940, 578 U.S. ___, slip op. at 1 (2016).
  2. Evenwel, slip op. at 6.
  3. 14-940 EVENWEL V. ABBOTT. Jurisdiction Noted
  4. Liptak, Adam (April 4, 2016). "Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to 'One Person One Vote'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  5. Bravin, Jess (April 4, 2016). "Supreme Court Affirms 'One-Person, One-Vote' Standard". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2016.



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