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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Baker v. Carr
Citation:
369 U.S. 186 (1962)Facts
The Tennessee Constitution required reapportionment of legislative districts every ten years according to population, but the Tennessee General Assembly had not reapportioned since 1901. Over time, significant population shifts occurred, with substantial growth in urban areas and relative decline in rural areas. As a result, by 1960, some districts had ten times the population of others yet elected the same number of representatives. The plaintiffs, voters in underrepresented districts, sued claiming that this malapportionment debased their votes and denied them equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment. They sought a declaration that the 1901 statute was unconstitutional and an injunction against further elections under it until the legislature enacted a valid reapportionment plan.
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