Baker v. Carr (1962) Case Study
This deck covers the key aspects of the Baker v. Carr (1962) case, including the situation, constitutional questions, opinions, and its significance in U.S. law.
situation
Charles Baker, an urban citizen, sued on the ground that he had been denied equal protection under the out-of-date electoral map in Tennessee. Legislative districting was a reserved power. TN had been using the same legislative districts since the 1950s, despite population growth and a shift in population concentration from rural to urban areas.
Key Terms
situation
Charles Baker, an urban citizen, sued on the ground that he had been denied equal protection under the out-of-date electoral map in Tennessee. Legi...
constitutional question
Do federal courts have the power to decide cases about the apportionment of population in state legislative districts?
opinion
In a 6-2 decision for Baker, the Court ruled that courts have the authority to enforce the equal requirement against states if the legislative dist...
dissenting opinion
The dissenting opinion argued that the Constitution did not require states to draw districts in a particular manner, so there was no basis for fede...
elements of the u.S. constitution
Article III (Judicial) and the 14th Amendment (Equal Protection clause).
significance
This case established the precedent that would allow courts to rule on the constitutionality of legislative redistricting. It set up the idea of 'o...
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
situation | Charles Baker, an urban citizen, sued on the ground that he had been denied equal protection under the out-of-date electoral map in Tennessee. Legislative districting was a reserved power. TN had been using the same legislative districts since the 1950s, despite population growth and a shift in population concentration from rural to urban areas. |
constitutional question | Do federal courts have the power to decide cases about the apportionment of population in state legislative districts? |
opinion | In a 6-2 decision for Baker, the Court ruled that courts have the authority to enforce the equal requirement against states if the legislative districts the state creates are so disproportionately drawn that they deny residents equal treatment based on where they live. |
dissenting opinion | The dissenting opinion argued that the Constitution did not require states to draw districts in a particular manner, so there was no basis for federal intervention in this issue. |
elements of the u.S. constitution | Article III (Judicial) and the 14th Amendment (Equal Protection clause). |
significance | This case established the precedent that would allow courts to rule on the constitutionality of legislative redistricting. It set up the idea of 'one man, one vote': the idea that no singular vote should be weighted heavier than another in a democracy. This was a change from the court's deference to states on this issue in the past. |