Decision
Writing for the Court majority in Wesberry, Justice Black argued that a reading of the debates of the Constitutional Convention demonstrated conclusively that the Framers had meant, in using the phrase “by the People,” to guarantee equality of representation in the election of Members of the House of Representatives.
Writing in dissent, Justice Harlan argued that the statements cited by Justice Black had uniformly been in the context of the Great Compromise. Justice Harlan further argued that the Convention debates were clear to the effect that Article I, § 4, had vested exclusive control over state districting practices in Congress and that the Court action overrode a congressional decision not to require equally-populated districts.
Read more about this topic: Wesberry V. Sanders
Famous quotes containing the word decision:
“There are many things children accept as grown-up things over when they have no control and for which they have no responsibilityfor instance, weddings, having babies, buying houses, and driving cars. Parents who are separating really need to help their children put divorce on that grown-up list, so that children do not see themselves as the cause of their parents decision to live apart.”
—Fred Rogers (20th century)
“Because of these convictions, I made a personal decision in the 1964 Presidential campaign to make education a fundamental issue and to put it high on the nations agenda. I proposed to act on my belief that regardless of a familys financial condition, education should be available to every child in the United Statesas much education as he could absorb.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (19081973)
“Moral choices do not depend on personal preference and private decision but on right reason and, I would add, divine order.”
—Basil Hume (b. 1923)