Baker v Carr
Bush V Gore
The Fourteenth Amendment
The Equal Protection Clause
States’ election laws
Baker v Carr 1962
• Tennessee had failed to
reapportion the state
legislature for 60 years
• Baker, a voter, brought suit
against the state (Joe Carr was
a state official in charge of
elections) in federal district
court, claiming that the
dilution of his vote as a result
of the state's failure to
reapportion violated the
equal protection clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment to
the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court
agreed with Baker that
his rights had been
violated under the
equal protection clause
• Even though the case
concerned state leg, it
led to reapportionment
of congressional
districts
• “one man one vote”
became the synopsis of
the case
Bush v Gore 2000
• At issue was the
recount of the ballots in
two counties in Florida
• Electoral College meets
Dec 15 to elect
President-time
constraint
• Because the ballots were not
standardized the court ruled that
the recount must stop
• Governor Bush was awarded
Florida’s electoral votes based on
the original tally and therefore
received the 270 voted need to
become President
• Both cases involved the
Equal Protection Clause
of Amend. 14
• Both involved state
election laws, not
federal concerns
• http://www.oyez.org/ca
ses/20002009/2000/2000_00_9
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