Rogers v. Lodge

On 1 July 1982, the Supreme Court issued its decision. It affirmed the rulings of the lower courts, holding that Burke County's electoral system violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The High Court's decision addressed the three key points at issue.

Consistent with previous rulings, the Supreme Court did not strike down at-large voting schemes as unconstitutional per se. However, it allowed for challenges to such a system in cases where it could be shown that the at-large arrangement was established or maintained for discriminatory purposes. With respect to this particular case, the Supreme Court declined to dispute the findings of the district court on the issue of discriminatory practices. Finally, the Supreme Court refused to consider the propriety of the relief offered by the district court, namely the division of Burke County into single-member electoral districts.

The Supreme Court's decision reflected its deep ambivalence about the constitutionality of at-large voting systems. Writing for the majority, Justice White issued the following opinion:

At-large voting schemes and multimember districts tend to minimize the voting strength of minority groups by permitting the political majority to elect all representatives of the district. A distinct minority, whether it be a racial, ethnic, economic, or political group, may be unable to elect any representatives in an at-large election, yet may be able to elect several representatives if the political unit is divided into single-member districts.