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Shooting Down The Phoenix: Shaw V. Reno And The Controversy Over Race-Conscious Districting, Elizabeth Bachman

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Note analyzes the viability of race-conscious districting on two separate levels: first in terms of its efficacy as a means of empowering minority voters, and second, in light of Shaw v. Reno, which has restricted the ability of states and localities to create majority-minority districts. Part II critiques the assumptions underlying race-conscious districting and realistically evaluates the effects of such districting, concluding that despite its shortcomings, race-conscious districting has been very effective at empowering minority voters and furthering their political interests. Part III traces the history of the Voting Rights Act and how it influenced the Supreme Court's treatment …