Reynolds v. Sims

The Court held that both houses of state legislatures must be apportioned substantially by population.

Overview

Alabama's legislature malapportioned districts, giving sparsely populated rural counties legislative power wildly disproportionate to their populations. Chief Justice Warren, for an 8-1 majority, held that the Equal Protection Clause requires both houses of a bicameral state legislature to be apportioned substantially by population, rejecting a federal-style analogy of one house representing land area. Warren regarded it as his most important opinion. Legislative districting nationwide was redrawn, shifting power to cities and suburbs, and the principle that people, not land or trees, cast votes became fundamental to American democracy.