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Legislative Process Keyed to Mikva, 5th Ed.
Reynolds v. Sims
Citation:
377 U.S. 533, 84 S. Ct. 1362, 121 L. Ed. 2d 506 (1964)Facts
The Alabama Legislature consisted of a 35-member Senate and a 106-member House of Representatives, with apportionment based on the 1900 census despite constitutional requirements for decennial reapportionment. By 1960, significant population shifts had created severe disparities in representation. Under the existing apportionment, only about 25% of Alabama’s population could elect a majority of either legislative chamber. Population-variance ratios reached 41-to-1 in the Senate and 16-to-1 in the House. For example, Jefferson County with 634,864 people had the same senatorial representation (one senator) as Lowndes County with only 15,417 people. The Alabama Legislature proposed two reapportionment plans that still failed to provide for population-based representation in both houses. The District Court found all three plans (existing and two proposed) unconstitutional and ordered a temporary plan for the 1962 elections.
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