* Discuss the formation of Congressional districts, including apportionment, reapportionment, redirecting, and gerrymandering by the Baker V. Carr (1962) decision.

* In the State of Tennessee, representation was determined by a 1901 law setting the number of legislators for each county. Urban areas were underrepresented. Mayor Baker of Nashville brought suit, saying that the apportionment denied voters of urban areas equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The federal court refused to enter the “political thicket” of State districting, and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court.

*In an opinion which explored the nature of "political questions" and the appropriateness of Court action in them, the Court held that there were no such questions to be answered in this case and that legislative apportionment was a justifiable issue.

*In an opinion which explored the nature of "political questions" and the appropriateness of Court action in them, the Court held that there were no such questions to be answered in this case and that legislative apportionment was a justifiable issue.

The 13 Congressional Districts of Georgia.

As the supreme court ruled in Baker v Carr 1962, state legislators must be apportioned according to population so that each persons vote has roughly equal weight.

Apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 108th Congress.

Article one of the constitution directs congress to reapportion the seats in the house after each Decennial census.

African Americans and Latinos have historically been under represented in the house of representatives as a result, several states designated, “ marjority-minority ,” congressional districts to elect more minority members to congress.

* Congressional district maps in several states show one and sometimes several districts of very odd shapes, those districts have usually been gerrymandered.

* Gerrymandering is districts drawn to the advantage of the political party that controls that states legislature.

* Gerrymandering, in politics, rearrangement of voting districts so as to favor the party in power. The objective is to create as many districts as possible in areas of known support and to concentrate the opposition's strength into as few districts as possible. Extremely irregular boundary lines are sometimes necessary to obtain the results desired.

Is Gerrymandering Fair?Is Gerrymandering Fair?

The practice of gerrymandering isn't a fair practice because it manipulates state districting to give one side an advantage.

Voting is supposed to be clean and unbiased, not each side trying to gain unfair advantages…

The practice of gerrymandering isn't a fair practice because it manipulates state districting to give one side an advantage.

Voting is supposed to be clean and unbiased, not each side trying to gain unfair advantages…

Legislative apportionment subdivision of a political body for the purpose of electing legislative representatives. In the United States, the Constitution requires that Congressional representatives be elected on the basis of population.

ReapportionmentReapportionment

The process by which seats in the House of Representatives are reassigned among the States to reflect population changes following the decennial census.

The process by which seats in the House of Representatives are reassigned among the States to reflect population changes following the decennial census.