What principle were the Supreme Court decisions in Baker v Carr and Reynolds v Sims based on?
Asked by: Alexandro Roob | Last update: January 29, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (16 votes)
The Supreme Court decisions in Baker v. Carr (1962) and Reynolds v. Sims (1964) were based on the principle of "one person, one vote," establishing that legislative districts must be roughly equal in population to ensure each citizen's vote carries the same weight, rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause to combat unfair rural-dominated malapportionment.
What principle did the Supreme Court establish in Baker v Carr?
The Court formulated the "one person, one vote" standard under American jurisprudence for legislative redistricting, holding that every person had to be weighted equally in legislative apportionment.
What did the Supreme Court decide in Reynolds v. Sims?
Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the single-seat electoral districts of state legislative chambers must be roughly equal in population. Along with Baker v. Carr (1962) and Wesberry v.
What resulted from the Supreme Court decisions in Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims?
In these cases, which included Reynolds v. Sims, the Court held that both houses of state legislatures must be apportioned on a population basis—a decision that was strongly criticized by members of Congress, particularly Republicans and Southern Democrats who received more support in rural areas.
Which principle was established by the Supreme Court?
Congress did not have power to modify the Constitution through regular legislation because Supremacy Clause places the Constitution before the laws. In so holding, Marshall established the principle of judicial review, i.e., the power to declare a law unconstitutional.
Supreme Court Landmark Case [Baker v. Carr]
What important principle was established by the Supreme Court in Reynolds v. United States (1878)?
It held that the federal government cannot interfere with a person's religious beliefs, except when a religious practice violates certain notions of health, safety, and morality — commonly called police powers.
What principle allows Supreme Court rulings to be binding?
Stare decisis is a foundational legal principle that promotes stability and predictability in the judicial system by adhering to past decisions made in similar cases.
What was the Supreme Court decision on Reynolds v US?
majority opinion by Morrison R. Waite. The Court upheld Reynolds's conviction and Congress's power to prohibit polygamy. The Court held that while Congress could not outlaw a belief in the correctness of polygamy, it could outlaw the practice thereof.
What was the result of the Supreme Court decision in Baker v Carr quizlet?
The Fourteenth Amendment addresses a variety of issues concerning citizenship and citizens' rights "Equal protection of the laws". As a result of the Supreme Court decision in Baker v. Carr (1962), courts can require states to redraw voting districts so that they are roughly equal in population.
Which of the following Supreme Court cases involved the principle of one person one vote?
In Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964), this Court held that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment includes a "one-person, one-vote" principle.
Who won Reynolds vs. Sims?
In an 8-to-1 decision authored by Justice Earl Warren, the Court upheld the challenge to the Alabama system, holding that Equal Protection Clause demanded "no less than substantially equal state legislative representation for all citizens...." Noting that the right to direct representation was "a bedrock of our ...
What did the Supreme Court rule in 1964?
Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
What is 377 in the Supreme Court?
In 2018, after decades of grassroots activism, the application of section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to private consensual sex between men was ruled unconstitutional by India's Supreme Court, effectively decriminalizing homosexual activity.
Which of the 7 principles is the Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional?
6. Checks and Balances The Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional.
What did the Baker decision say you could successfully do?
The Baker decision established that redistricting issues could be subject to judicial review, allowing courts to intervene in cases of extreme partisan gerrymandering.
What principle did the Supreme Court affirm in New York Times v. United States (1971)?
v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971), often referred to as The Pentagon Papers Case, was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States on the First Amendment right to freedom of the press.
What was the Supreme Court's decision on Baker v. Carr?
The Baker decision protected individual rights by holding that unequal representation of citizens is unconstitutional and may be reviewed by courts. In 1964, the Supreme Court heard six more cases regarding legislative apportionment in Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Virginia.
What 1969 event became the most dramatic action taken by militant American Indians in the United States?
The occupation of Alcatraz Island is one of the most significant Red Power Movement actions, acting as a catalyst for the movement as a whole. On November 20, 1969, a group of American Indian activists under the name “Indians of All Tribes” occupied Alcatraz, an island in the San Francisco bay.
What is the importance of the Supreme Court case Reynolds v. Sims and Baker v. Carr Quizlet?
What is the importance of the Supreme Court case Reynolds v. Sims and Baker v. Carr? It declared the constitutional principle of "one person, one vote."
What is the Reynolds doctrine?
Congress cannot pass a law for the government of the Territories which shall prohibit the free exercise of religion. The first amendment to the Constitution expressly forbids such legislation. Religious freedom is guaranteed everywhere throughout the United States, so far as congressional interference is concerned.
What was the Supreme Court decision on LGBT?
Earlier, in 2020, the court surprisingly ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the federal law prohibiting discrimination in employment, applies to gender identity as well as sexual orientation.
What was the decision passed down from the Supreme Court of the United States concerning the rights of African slaves?
On March 6, 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney read the majority opinion of the Court, which stated that enslaved people were not citizens of the United States and, therefore, could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts.
Which principle was established by the Supreme Court?
Congress did not have power to modify the Constitution through regular legislation because Supremacy Clause places the Constitution before the laws. In so holding, Marshall established the principle of judicial review, i.e., the power to declare a law unconstitutional.
Which principle has precedence?
By the principle of stare decisis, the Supreme Court upholds precedent unless there is a “particular rationale” or at the very least “strong grounds” to do otherwise.
What legal principle was established in the decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison?
Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803), was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that established the principle of judicial review, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes they find to violate the Constitution of the United States.