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Miller V. Johnson: Drawing The Line On Racial Gerrymandering, Darin R. Doak

Northern Illinois University Law Review

By rejecting the Georgia State Legislature's attempt to redraw its political districts to ensure election of black representatives, the Supreme Court in Miller v. Johnson exposed a fallacy that served as the foundation for eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century barriers to minority franchise rights: the idea that minority groups act and vote similarly. Treading lightly through the political thicket of redistricting, the Miller Court eliminated this threat by prohibiting political districts drawn with substantial reliance upon race. This article discusses the merits of the Miller decision and its place in the evolution of minority voting rights. The article also suggests that …