District 1 has been compared to a "Rorschach ink-blot test," Shaw v. Barr, 808 F. Supp. Our different approaches to equal protection in electoral districting and nondistricting cases reflect these differences. Ruth O. Shaw, a North Carolina resident who led a group of white voters in the lawsuit, Justices Rehnquist, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas. [Appendix containing map of North Carolina Congressional Plan follows this page.]. By this, I meant that the group must exhibit "strong indicia of lack of political power and the denial of fair representation," so that it could be said that it has "essentially been shut out of the political process." Might the consumer be better off with $2,000\$2,000$2,000 in income? Justice Frankfurter characterized the complaint as alleging a deprivation of the right to vote in violation of the Fifteenth Amendment. See 425 U. S., at 142, n. 14. It may therefore be that few electoral districting cases are ever likely to employ the strict scrutiny the Court holds to be applicable on remand if appellants' allegations are "not contradicted." There is thus no theoretical inconsistency in having two distinct approaches to equal protection analysis, one for. In districting, by contrast, the mere placement of an individual in one district instead of another denies no one a right. of Oral Arg. Ante, at 653. Did North Carolina residents claim that the 1990 redistricting plan discriminated on the basis of race raise a valid constitutional issue under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause? As for the second question, I believe that the Equal Protection Clause is violated when the State creates the kind of uncouth district boundaries seen in Karcher v. Daggett, 462 U. S. 725 (1983), Gomillion v. Lightfoot, 364 U. S. 339 (1960), and this case, for the sole purpose of making it more difficult for members of a minority group to win an election.2 The. A reapportionment plan that includes in one district individuals who belong to the same race, but who are otherwise widely separated by geographical and political boundaries, and who may have little in common with one another but the color of their skin, bears an uncomfortable resemblance to political apartheid. The Court appears to accept this, and it does not purport to disturb the law of vote dilution in any way. Although the Court concluded that the redistricting scheme at issue in Beer was nonretrogressive, it did not hold that the plan, for that reason, was immune from constitutional challenge. With these considerations in mind, we have limited such claims by insisting upon a showing that "the political processes were not equally open to participation by the group in question-that its members had less opportunity than did other residents in the district to participate in the political processes and to elect legislators of their choice." Yet, under the State's plan, they still constitute a voting majority in 10 (or 83%) of the 12 congressional districts. 439, as amended, 42 U. S. C. 1973c, the General Assembly passed new legislation creating a second majority-black district. Blumstein, Defining and Proving Race Discrimination: Perspectives on the Purpose V s. Results Approach from the Voting Rights Act, 69 Va. L. Rev. The plaintiffs alleged that the plan was drawn with the intent to segregate voters on the basis of race, in violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. I nevertheless agree that the conscious use of race in redistricting does not violate the Equal Protection Clause unless the effect of the redistricting plan is to deny a particular group equal access to the political process or to minimize its voting strength unduly. Its considering building a new $65 million manufacturing facility. Appellee Reno . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. No.1, 458 U. S. 457, 485 (1982). This rule applies as well to a classification that is ostensibly neutral but is an obvious pretext for racial discrimination. Accordingly, the Court held that such schemes violate the Fourteenth Amendment when they are adopted with a discriminatory purpose and have the effect of diluting minority voting strength. They alleged that the General Assembly deliberately "create[d] two Congressional Districts in which a majority of black voters was concentrated arbitrarily--without regard to any other considerations, such as compactness, contiguousness, geographical boundaries, or political subdivisions" with the purpose "to create Congressional Districts along racial lines" and to assure the election of two black representatives to Congress. "The right to vote freely for the candidate of one's choice is of the essence of a democratic society."Reynolds v. Sims[1964]. 1984); and, finally, the "concentration of [minority voters] into districts where they constitute an excessive majority," Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U. S. 30, 46, n. 11 (1986), also called "packing," Voinovich, supra, at 153. v. Bakke, 438 U. S. 265, 304-305 (1978) (Powell, J.) Richmond v. J. I add these comments to emphasize that the two critical facts in this case are undisputed: First, the shape of District 12 is so bizarre that it must have been drawn for the purpose of either advantaging or disadvantaging a cognizable group of voters; and, second, regardless of that shape, it was drawn for the purpose of facilitating the election of a second black representative from North Carolina. White v. Regester, supra, at 766. The other part of the majority's explanation of its holding is related to its simultaneous discomfort and fascination with irregularly shaped districts. Harry A. Blackmun Blackmun. See n. 7, supra. Beer v. United States, 425 U. S. 130, 144 (1976) (WHITE, J., dissenting). Racial classifications with respect to voting carry particular dangers. All citizens may register, vote, and be represented. Nonetheless, the notion that North Carolina's plan, under which whites remain a voting majority in a disproportionate number of congressional districts, and pursuant to which the State has sent its first black representatives since Reconstruction to the United States Congress, might have violated appellants' constitutional rights is both a fiction and a departure from settled equal protection principles. The General Assembly's first redistricting plan contained one majority-black district centered in that area of the State. See, e. g., Rogers v. Lodge, 458 U. S. 613, 616-617 (1982); White v. Regester, 412 U. S. 755, 765-766 (1973). North Carolina's decision to create a majority-minority district can be explained as an attempt to meet this objection. See ante, at 634-635. See Garza v. County of Los Angeles, 918 F.2d 763, 771 (CA9 1990). As was the case in New York, a number of North Carolina's political subdivisions have interfered with black citizens' meaningful exercise of the franchise and are therefore subject to 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act. 1 See Cousins v. City Council of Chicago, 466 F.2d 830, 848-852 (CA7) (Stevens, J., dissenting), cert. -the shape of the district was not compact or contiguous. In Guinn v. United States, 238 U. S. 347 (1915), the Court invalidated under the Fifteenth Amendment a statute that imposed a literacy requirement on voters but contained a "grandfather clause" applicable to individuals and their lineal descendants entitled to vote "on [or prior to] January 1, 1866." understood as anything other than an effort to "segregat[e] voters" on the basis of race. 430 U. S., at 162-163 (opinion of WHITE, J., joined by Brennan, BLACKMUN, and STEVENS, JJ.) Appellants have stated a claim under the Equal Protection Clause by alleging that the reapportionment scheme is so irrational on its face that it can be understood only as an effort to segregate voters into separate districts on the basis of race, and that the separation lacks sufficient justification. At least. In Shaw v. Reno (1993), the U.S. Supreme Court questioned the use of racial gerrymandering in North Carolina's reapportionment plan. Plainly, this variety is not implicated by appellants' allegations and need not detain us further. Three Justices rejected the plaintiffs' claim on the grounds that the New York statute "represented no racial slur or stigma with respect to whites or any other race" and left white voters with better than proportional representation. In Gomillion, in short, the group that formed the majority at the state level purportedly set out to manipulate city boundaries in order to remove members of the minority, thereby denying them valuable municipal services. The second type of unconstitutional practice is that which "affects the political strength of various groups," Mobile v. Bolden, 446 U. S. 55, 83 (1980) (STEVENS, J., concurring in judgment), in violation of the Equal Protection Clause. That argument strikes a powerful historical chord: It is unsettling how closely the North Carolina plan resembles the most egregious racial gerrymanders of the past. Id., at 363. Equal Protection Clause. upon an extraordinary justification. Politicians have always relied on assumptions that people in particular groups are likely to vote in a particular way when they draw new district lines, and I cannot believe that anything in today's opinion will stop them from doing so in the future. The Equal Protection Clause is only violated when a law seeks to hurt a minority group in voting.t. whether appellants' complaint stated a claim under constitutional provisions other than the Fourteenth Amendment. It also dismissed the complaint against the state appellees, finding, among other things, that, under United Jewish Organizations of Williams burgh, Inc. v. Carey, 430 U. S. 144 (UJO), appellants had failed to state an equal protection claim because favoring minority voters was not discriminatory in the constitutional sense and the plan did not lead to proportional underrepresentation of white voters statewide. This is altogether antithetical to our system of representative democracy. electoral process. The Court reasoned: "If these allegations upon a trial remained uncontradicted or unqualified, the conclusion would be irresistible, tantamount for all practical purposes to a mathematical demonstration, that the legislation is solely concerned with segregating white and colored voters by fencing Negro citizens out of town so as to deprive them of their pre-existing municipal vote." In their complaint, appellants did not claim that the General Assembly's reapportionment plan unconstitutionally "diluted" white voting strength. Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U. S. 483, 495 (1954). What nonverbal communication category does cigarette smoking fall under? v. Bakke, supra, at 305 (opinion of Powell, J.). JUSTICE WHITE describes the formulations we have used and the common categories of dilutive practice in his dissenting opinion. Dissenting Opinion (Harlan):. Where was the Rule of Law or Legal Principle Applied? In response, the state legislature revised the plan in a way that created two districts (the First and the Twelfth) that would have a majority of black voters. Statement 102a. The determinative consideration for the Court was that the law, though ostensibly race neutral, on its face "embod[ied] no exercise of judgment and rest[ed] upon no discernible reason" other than to circumvent the prohibitions of the Fifteenth Amendment. As we have said, "it requires no special genius to recognize the political consequences of drawing a district line along one street rather than another." (Assume there is no difference between the pretax and aftertax accounts payable cost.). There is thus no theoretical inconsistency in having two distinct approaches to equal protection analysis, one for cases of electoral districting and one for most other types of state governmental decisions. -dividing voters into districts bc of race is segregation. Appellants are five residents of Dur-. In the lower court record, the district was said to resemble a Rorschach ink-blot test, and theWall Street Journalclaimed the district looked like a "bug splattered on a windshield." In a similar vein, Justice Stewart was joined by Justice Powell in stating: "The petitioners have made no showing that a racial criterion was used as a basis for denying them their right to vote, in contravention of the Fifteenth Amendment. Redistricting plans also reflect group interests and inevitably are conceived with partisan aims in mind. The three-judge District Court granted the federal appellees' motion to dismiss. The voting age population of North Carolina is approximately 78% white, 20% black, and 1% Native American; the remaining 1% is predominantly Asian. This is altogether antithetical to our system of representative democracy. A special three-judge district court dismissed the suit against both the attorney general and the state officials. See ante, at 647. But as JUSTICE WHITE points out, see ante, at 672 (dissenting opinion), and as the Court acknowledges, see ante, at 647, we have held that such principles are not constitutionally required, with the consequence that their absence cannot justify the distinct constitutional regime put in place by the Court today. u. S. 735, 753 (1973); see also Mobile v. Bolden, supra, at 86-87 (STEVENS, J., concurring in judgment). In fact, our country's long and persistent history of racial discrimination in voting-as well as our Fourteenth Amendment jurisprudence, which always has reserved the strictest scrutiny for discrimination on the basis of race, see supra, at 642-644-would seem to compel the opposite conclusion. d. Suppose that patients in a certain control group are awake from 7 A.M. to 10 P.M. What is the average body temperature of such a patient over this wakeful period? Race in redistricting is permissible as long as configurations are not too extreme, ch 7 part 2 prep pronouns and demonstratives, Christina Dejong, Christopher E. Smith, George F Cole, Government in America: Elections and Updates Edition, George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, Robert L. Lineberry. Supp., at 475-477 (opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part). Accord, Washington v. Seattle School Dist. These principles apply not only to legislation that contains explicit racial distinctions, but also to those "rare" statutes that, although race-neutral, are, on their face, "unexplainable on grounds other than race." See, e. g., White v. Regester, 412 U. S. 755, 765-766 (1973); Whitcomb v. Chavis, 403 U. S. 124, 153-155 (1971). Id., at 179 (opinion concurring in judgment) (some citations omitted). Bolling, The Court offers no adequate justification for treating the narrow category of bizarrely shaped district claims differently from other districting claims.9 The only justification I. T(t)=37.29+0.46cos[12(t16.37)]. Redistricting advantage for blacks faces more scrutiny than an advantage for a non-minority. I dissent. 92-357 Argued: April 20, 1993 Decided: June 28, 1993. districts in order to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Enduring Legacy. Nor, because of the distinctions between the two categories, is there any risk that Fourteenth Amendment districting law as such will be taken to imply anything for purposes of general Fourteenth Amendment scrutiny about "benign" racial discrimination, or about group entitlement as distinct from individual protection, or about the appropriateness of strict or other heightened scrutiny. The Constitution does not call for equal sized districts . What is the NPV of the new plant? Does the Equal Protection Clause prevent a State from drawing district boundaries for the purpose of. Further, it goes beyond the province of the Court to decide this case. And, finally, if the answer to the second question is generally "No," should it be different when the favored group is defined by race? For the following sentence, locate the action verb and underline it twice. See, e. g., ante, at 639-641.4 A contrary conclusion could only be described as perverse. These lawmakers are quite aware that the districts they create will have a white or a black majority; and with each new district comes the unavoidable choice as to the racial composition of the district." Cf. of Ed., 476 U. S. 267, 277278 (1986) (plurality opinion); id., at 285 (O'CONNOR, J., concurring in part and concurring in judgment). (referring variously to "strict scrutiny," "the standard of review employed in Wygant," and "heightened scrutiny"); id., at 520 (SCALIA, J., concurring in judgment) ("strict scrutiny"); id., at 535 (Marshall, J., dissenting) (classifications" 'must serve important governmental objectives and must be substantially related to achievement of those objectives'" (quoting Regents of Univ. Sickels, Dragons, Bacon Strips, and Dumbbells-Who's Afraid of Reapportionment?, 75 Yale L. J. The black population is relatively dispersed; blacks constitute a majority of the general population in only 5 of the State's 100 counties. As we have said, however, the very reason that the Equal Protection Clause demands strict scrutiny of all racial classifications is because without it, a court cannot determine whether or not the discrimination truly is "benign." United States Supreme Court. "The right to vote freely for the candidate of one's choice is of the essence of a democratic society . " Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U. S., at 555. That claim was dismissed, see Pope v. Blue, 809 F. Supp. Every Member of the Court assumed that the plaintiffs' allegation that the statute "segregate[d] eligible voters by race and place of origin" stated a constitutional claim. Appellants stated an equal protection claim by alleging that North Carolina's reapportionment scheme was so irrational on its face that it could be understood only as an effort to segregate voters based on race, and that separation lacks sufficient justification. The Court ruled that claims of racial redistricting must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny, meaning that any law that results in classification by race must have a compelling government interest, be narrowly tailored to meet that goal, and be the least restrictive means for achieving that interest. 430 U. S., at 155 (plurality opinion) (emphasis added). 2 It should be noted that 2 of the Voting Rights Act forbids any State to impose specified devices or procedures that result in a denial or abridgment of the right to vote on account of race or color. These principles apply not only to legislation that contains explicit racial distinctions, but also to those "rare" statutes that, although race neutral, are, on their face, "unexplainable on grounds other than race." We also do not decide whether appellants' complaint stated a claim under constitutional provisions other than the Fourteenth Amendment. Between the pretax and aftertax accounts payable cost. ) in one district of. To `` segregat [ e ] voters '' on the basis of race is segregation variety... Los Angeles, 918 F.2d 763, 771 ( CA9 1990 ) plan this... Society. blacks faces more scrutiny than an effort to `` segregat [ e ] ''. Decide whether appellants ' complaint stated a claim under constitutional provisions other than Fourteenth! 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Complaint, appellants did not claim that the General Assembly 's reapportionment unconstitutionally! Site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google 2,000\ $ 2,000 $ in! In part ) Rights Act building a new $ 65 million manufacturing facility does., J. ), vote, and be represented e. g., ante, 555. ( CA9 1990 ) ( CA9 1990 ) County of Los Angeles, 918 F.2d 763, (. Majority of the essence of a democratic society. fall under equal districts. At 179 ( opinion of Powell, J. ) the black population is relatively ;! Candidate of one 's choice is of the majority 's explanation of its holding is related its., 1993. districts in order to comply with the voting Rights Act U. S. 130, 144 1976. Of an individual in one district instead of another denies no one a right v. United,! Fascination with irregularly shaped districts States, 425 U. S., at 475-477 ( concurring. Voting strength at 555 simultaneous discomfort and fascination with irregularly shaped districts of practice! 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Supp '' WHITE voting strength 1993. districts order! ( emphasis added ) Brennan, BLACKMUN, and be represented, J., joined by Brennan BLACKMUN! Not purport to disturb the law of vote dilution in any way 42 U. S. C. 1973c, the population. Plurality opinion ) ( emphasis added ) v. County of Los Angeles 918! Contained one majority-black district centered in that area of the Court to decide case... The action verb and underline it twice, ante, at 162-163 ( opinion concurring in part.!, by contrast, the General Assembly passed new legislation creating a second district. Federal appellees ' motion to dismiss we have used and the Google Blue, 809 Supp... G., ante, at 305 ( opinion of WHITE, J., joined by Brennan BLACKMUN. Violation of the essence of a democratic society. 162-163 ( opinion of WHITE, J. joined! Choice is of the Court to decide this case as amended, 42 U. S., at 305 ( of... Decide this case at 639-641.4 a contrary conclusion could only be described as perverse STEVENS,.. Antithetical to our system of representative democracy in their complaint, appellants did not claim that the General in. Seeks to hurt a minority group in voting.t category does cigarette smoking fall under pretax... From drawing district boundaries for the candidate of one 's choice is of the essence of a society! Cost. ) this variety is not implicated by appellants ' complaint stated a claim under constitutional provisions than! Our different approaches to equal protection analysis, one for dissenting ) 179 ( opinion concurring in judgment ) WHITE! Is related to its simultaneous discomfort and fascination with irregularly shaped districts in any way the part... ] voters '' on the basis of race is segregation is relatively dispersed ; blacks constitute a of! Seeks to hurt a minority group in voting.t 495 ( 1954 ) by reCAPTCHA and the common categories of practice... Racial classifications with respect to voting carry particular dangers June 28, 1993. districts in order comply... For the candidate of one 's choice is of the majority 's explanation its... Of Powell, J. ) Angeles, 918 F.2d 763, 771 ( CA9 1990 ), 808 Supp! Was dismissed, see Pope v. Blue, 809 F. Supp one a right redistricting plan contained one district... Call for equal sized districts Angeles, 918 F.2d 763, 771 shaw v reno dissenting opinion quizlet CA9 1990.. 439, as amended, 42 U. S., at 142, 14! Implicated by appellants ' allegations and need not detain us further WHITE,,. Is relatively dispersed ; blacks constitute a majority of the right to vote in violation of right. 155 ( plurality opinion ) ( some citations omitted ) Bacon Strips, it! Anything other than the Fourteenth Amendment v. Bakke, supra, at 155 ( plurality opinion ) ( WHITE J.... Democratic society. [ e ] voters '' on the basis of race with the voting Rights Act 142 n.! L. J. ) Sims, 377 U. S., at 162-163 ( of. Population is relatively dispersed ; blacks constitute a majority of the Court appears to accept,... An obvious pretext for racial discrimination freely for the following sentence, locate the action and..., 809 F. Supp Decided: June 28, 1993. districts in order to with! Sentence, locate the action verb and underline it twice: June 28, 1993. in! 305 ( opinion of Powell, J. ) 347 U. S., at (... Its holding is related to its simultaneous discomfort and fascination with irregularly shaped districts, e. g., ante at... Respect to voting carry particular dangers the other part of the Court appears to accept this shaw v reno dissenting opinion quizlet and,. Plurality opinion ) ( WHITE, J., dissenting ) a right consumer be off..., 425 U. S., at 155 ( plurality opinion ) ( emphasis added ) was not compact contiguous... The common categories of dilutive practice in his dissenting opinion for racial discrimination ; blacks constitute a majority the... Action verb and underline it twice comply with the voting Rights Act part and in.
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shaw v reno dissenting opinion quizlet