Gray v. Sanders (1962)
- Docket
- 112
- Decided
- 1962-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Does the county unit voting system violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? Conclusion: Yes. Justice William O. Douglas, in an 8-1 majority opinion, vacated the lower court's judgment and remanded the case with directions. The Court held that the weighing of votes through the county unit system violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by giving more voting power to residents of particularly small rural counties. Unlike the district court, the majority held that the county unit system was impermissible in its entirety. The Court reasoned that the longstanding concept of political equality requires elections to be governed by the rule of "one person, one vote." Justice John Marshall Harlan II dissented, arguing that the case should be sent back for trial to establish a fully developed record for the Court to review.