Question 1

In Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960), the Supreme Court held that drawing political boundary lines to exclude minority voters violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. _____

Accepted Answer

In Gomillion v. Lightfoot, the Supreme Court held that the redrawing of political boundaries to disenfranchise Black voters violated the Fifteenth Amendment, not the Fourteenth Amendment.

Question 2

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court dismiss as nonjusticiable a lawsuit challenging malapportionment? _____

Accepted Answer

In Colegrove v. Green (1946), the Supreme Court dismissed as nonjusticiable a lawsuit challenging malapportionment, stating that the constitutionality of apportionment was a political question to be resolved by the legislative and executive branches, rather than the judiciary.

Question 3

In Baker v. Carr (1962), the Supreme Court invalidated a 1901 Tennessee law that created unequal state legislative districts. _____

Accepted Answer

False

Question 4

The principle of "one person, one vote" was first articulated in _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The principle of "one person, one vote"...

Question 5

In Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. Federal Election Commission (1996), the Supreme Court _____.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court ruled that limitations on political parties' campaign expenditures made independently of a candidate's campaign committee were unconstitutional, as they violated the First Amendment's free speech protections.

Question 6

The principal dissent in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission and the majority opinion in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission were written by _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The principal dissent in McConnell v. Federal...

Question 7

The organization called Citizens United initiated litigation because of _____.

Accepted Answer

Citizens United initiated litigation because of a documentary video they produced that was critical of Hillary Clinton and was deemed an electioneering communication by the Federal Election Commission.

Question 8

In California Democratic Party v. Jones, the party preferred _____.

Accepted Answer

In California Democratic Party v. Jones, the party preferred a closed primary system, where only registered party members can vote in the party's primary.

Question 9

In Reynolds v. Sims, Chief Justice Warren discussed _____.

Accepted Answer

In Reynolds v. Sims, Chief Justice Warren discussed the federal analogy, which argued that state legislatures should be apportioned based on population, just like the U.S. House of Representatives.

Question 10

Shelby County v. Holder involved a challenge to the Affordable Care Act. _____

Accepted Answer

Shelby County v. Holder involved a challenge to a provision of the Voting Rights Act, not the Affordable Care Act.

Question 11

Rucho v. Common Cause concerned

Accepted Answer

Rucho v. Common Cause concerned gerrymandering, specifically whether the drawing of congressional districts based on political party affiliation violates the Constitution.

Question 12

Chiafalo v. Washington concerned

Accepted Answer

The case of Chiafalo v. Washington dealt with the issue of whether or not Electoral College electors could cast their votes for candidates other than those chosen by the voters of their respective states. Specifically, the case involved three Washington State electors who were fined for voting for candidates other than Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote in their state during the 2016 Presidential election. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that states could enforce laws that required electors to vote for the candidate chosen by the voters of their state.

Question 13

In his dissent in Baker v. Carr, Justice Frankfurter denounced the majority for "asserting destructively novel judicial power" in its decision. What did Frankfurter mean? What alternative remedy did Frankfurter offer in his dissent for those aggrieved voters who had brought this case? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In his dissent in Baker v. Carr,...

Question 14

Articulate the holding and rationale in either (1) McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003), as pertaining to Title I, Sec. 323 (a) (ban on soft money), and Title II, Sec. 203 (prohibition of corporate and labor disbursements for electioneering communications), of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act; or (2) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), as pertaining to Title, II, Section 203, of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Articulate the holding and rationale in either...

Question 15

Articulate the holding and rationale in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), as pertaining to Title, II, Section 203, of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Articulate the holding and rationale in Citizens...

Question 16

At least since Davis v. Bandemer (1986), the search for judicially manageable standards in the context of partisan gerrymandering has been elusive. What solution did Justice Souter believe he had developed in Vieth v. Jubelirer (2004)? Explain. Does his approach seem workable to you? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of At least since Davis v. Bandemer (1986),...

Question 17

In what way does Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion for the majority in Miller v. Johnson (1995) limit the discretion of a state legislature in drawing district lines? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In what way does Justice Anthony Kennedy's...

Question 18

Explain the crucial threshold questions at issue in Baker v. Carr and Davis
v. Bandemer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the crucial threshold questions at issue...

Question 19

Consider Justice Frankfurter's dissent (which Justice Harlan joined) in Baker v. Carr (1962) and Justice Harlan's dissent in Reynolds v. Sims (1964). (Frankfurter retired before Reynolds was decided.) Suppose Harlan and Frankfurter had each been on the Court in 2004 when Vieth v. Jubelirer was decided, and assume that both justices still adhered to the perspective they had expressed in those cases from the 1960s. Would Harlan and Frankfurter have been more likely to join Justice Scalia's plurality opinion in Vieth v. Jubelirer or Justice Souter's dissent? Why? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider Justice Frankfurter's dissent (which Justice Harlan...

Question 20

According to Justice Brennan's opinion for the Court in Baker v. Carr, one of the requirements for justiciability is the presence of "judicially discoverable and manageable standards for resolving" a dispute. Discuss this requirement in the context of Reynolds v. Sims, Davis v. Bandemer, and Shaw v. Reno. To what degree did the majority succeed in making clear the "discoverable and manageable standards" to be applied in those cases?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Justice Brennan's opinion for the...

Quiz 6: The Electoral Process