SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Burns v. Richardson
Citation:
384 U.S. 73 (1966)Facts
Hawaii’s 1950 constitution divided the state into four counties, with the most populous being Oahu (79% of the state’s population). The constitution apportioned the 25-member Senate among six fixed senatorial districts, giving 15 seats to the three less populous counties and 10 to Oahu. For the 51-member House, the Governor apportioned seats based on registered voters in 18 representative districts. After Reynolds v. Sims established that both houses must be apportioned by population, this system was challenged. The District Court found the Senate apportionment unconstitutional and ordered remedial action. The legislature proposed an interim plan (H.B. 987) that established eight senatorial districts with 19 of 25 senators from Oahu, based on registered voter distribution. The District Court rejected this plan because it used multi-member districts rather than single-member districts on Oahu.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.