Karcher v. Daggett (1982)

Docket
81-2057
Decided
1982-01-01

Summary

Question: Did the gerrymandering in the reapportionment plan violate Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution? Conclusion: Even though the population differences in the districts were slight, the Court held that they were unconstitutional because they "were not the result of a good-faith effort to achieve population equality." Justice Brennan upheld past Court decisions (Kirkpatrick v. Preisler, 1973, and Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964) and argued that relying on a strict numerical standard of populations to assess district equality would be misguided.

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