Shaw v. Reno - Impact

This case was remanded back to the district court, which held that the reapportionment plan was constitutional because it did meet the requirement of the U.S. Supreme Court that the state must have a "compelling interest" in complying with the Voting Rights Act, sections 2 and 5. Since this decision, both the U.S. Supreme Court and the circuit courts have heard several cases in which the results of Shaw v. Reno have been cited. These have included cases involving racial gerrymandering, drawing school and voting districts, housing discrimination, and voting rights. This case was once again appealed back to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was heard as Shaw v. Hunt in which the decision of the district court was reversed once more, as the Supreme Court found that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The issues involving the right to vote and have protection against all forms of discrimination continue to be explored and debated.