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petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to grant ... - Election Law Blog

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30Tennessee voters’ dilution challenge <strong>to</strong> apportionment was“justiciable, and if discrimination is sufficiently shown,<strong>the</strong> right <strong>to</strong> relief under <strong>the</strong> equal protection clauseis not diminished by <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> discriminationrelates <strong>to</strong> political rights.” 369 U.S. at 209-10 (citation andinternal quotations omitted); Reynolds, 377 U.S. at 556(reaffirming Baker).Moreover, Reynolds squarely rejected <strong>the</strong> veryreasoning that <strong>the</strong> Fifth Circuit adopted in Chen:We are <strong>to</strong>ld that <strong>the</strong> matter of apportioningrepresentation in a state legislature is acomplex and many-faceted one. We are advisedthat States can rationally consider fac<strong>to</strong>rs o<strong>the</strong>rthan population in apportioning legislativerepresentation. We are admonished not <strong>to</strong>restrict <strong>the</strong> power of <strong>the</strong> States <strong>to</strong> imposediffering views as <strong>to</strong> political philosophy on<strong>the</strong>ir citizens. We are cautioned about <strong>the</strong>dangers of entering in<strong>to</strong> political thickets andma<strong>the</strong>matical quagmires. Our answer is this:a denial of constitutionally protected rightsdemands judicial protection; our oath and ouroffice require no less of us.Id. at 566.Accordingly, “any alleged infringement of <strong>the</strong> righ<strong>to</strong>f citizens <strong>to</strong> vote must be carefully and meticulouslyscrutinized.” Id. at 562; Connor, 431 U.S. at 416 (“TheEqual Protection Clause requires that legislativedistricts be of nearly equal population, so that eachperson’s vote may be given equal weight in <strong>the</strong> election of

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