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Colegrove v. Green

Significance, Court Declares Apportionment A "political Question", Further Readings



Appellant

Kenneth W. Colegrove

Appellee

Dwight H. Green, as a member ex-officio of the Primary Certifying Board of the State of Illinois

Appellant's Claim

That congressional districts in Illinois were disparate in population size, and therefore not truly representative.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant

Urban A. Lavery

Chief Lawyer for Appellee

William C. Wines

Justices for the Court

Harold Burton, Felix Frankfurter (writing for the Court), Stanley Forman Reed, Wiley Blount Rutledge

Justices Dissenting

Hugo Lafayette Black, William O. Douglas, Frank Murphy (Harlan Fiske Stone and Robert H. Jackson did not participate)

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

10 June 1946

Decision

Apportionment issues are political questions which must be decided by state legislatures with congressional oversight.

Related Cases

  • Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962).
  • Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 (1964).

Additional topics

Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1941 to 1953