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Wesberry v. Sanders, (1964) required that Districts of the US House of Representatives be composed of approximately equal populations in order to ensure fair representation of US citizens. Wesberry was one of a pair of cases decided in 1964 that addressed reapportionment.

The "one man, one vote" rule (also called "one person, one vote") derives from the US Supreme Court ruling in Reynolds v. Sims, 377 US 533 (1964) that held state political districts of unequal size resulted in under-representation of some citizens' interests and over-representation of others'. This was considered "unrepublican," per Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution, and also unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause. In order to meet constitutional standards, districts had to be reapportioned so each had approximately equal population.

Both Wesberry and Reynolds decisions were predicated on the landmark ruling in Baker v. Carr, 369 US 186 (1962), in which the US Supreme Court decided reapportionment of state legislative districts was not a "political question" that should be resolved through legislation. The Court found legislative conflicts of interest raised justiciable issues that could be addressed and resolved by the Federal courts.

Case Citation:

Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 US 1 (1964)

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Unequal representation. Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 (1964) was a U.S. Supreme Court case involving U.S. Congressional districts in the state of Georgia. The Court issued its ruling on February 17, 1964. This decision requires each state to draw its U.S. Congressional districts so that they are approximately equal in population.

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8y ago
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One person one vote, equal representation

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13y ago
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Rural Overrepresation

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14y ago
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Q: What was the Supreme Court case Wesberry v Sanders about?
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