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Nonpopulation Factors Relevant To An Acceptable Standard For Apportionment, Jerold H. Israel
Nonpopulation Factors Relevant To An Acceptable Standard For Apportionment, Jerold H. Israel
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Of the many problems left unanswered in Baker v. Carr,' the one that has received the most attention both from lower courts and commentators is that of prescribing a specific standard for determining what constitutes a denial of "equal protection" in legislative apportionment.2 The starting point universally accepted - indeed, probably required by Baker - for attacking this problem is the definition of apportionment equality in terms of mathematical measurement of the individual's "voting power."3 Perfect equality in apportionment is viewed as requiring that each election district contain an equal population, so that every individual's vote in his district will …
On Charting A Course Through The Mathematical Quagmire: The Future Of Baker V. Carr, Jerold H. Israel
On Charting A Course Through The Mathematical Quagmire: The Future Of Baker V. Carr, Jerold H. Israel
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The Tennessee reapportionment decision, Baker v. Carr,' has been popularly characterized as one of the "very few judicial decisions which have fundamentally reshaped our constitutional system."'2 Newspaper and magazine commentators generally have predicted that the decision of last March is likely to "change the course of our history" by producing a drastic alteration in the balance of power on the state political scene.3 While this end may be desirable,4 any such estimate of the future impact of the Baker decision, at least insofar as its legal consequence is concerned,5 seems not only premature but somewhat exaggerated. The future significance of …