Opinion ID: 2169494
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Relevant Federal Law

Text: Though this case is being challenged based upon perceived violations of the Rhode Island Constitution, reference to federal law is useful in order to glean a proper understanding of the state of this difficult field of law. In Reynolds v. Sims, the United States Supreme Court reviewed the constitutionality of a reapportionment plan in terms of population variances between state electoral districts and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. [16] 377 U.S. 533, 84 S.Ct. 1362, 12 L.Ed.2d 506 (1964). Pertinent to the case at bar, the Court opined: A State may legitimately desire to maintain the integrity of various political subdivisions, insofar as possible, and provide for compact districts of contiguous territory in designing a legislative apportionment scheme. Valid considerations may underlie such aims. Indiscriminate districting, without any regard for political subdivision or natural or historical boundary lines, may be little more than an open invitation to partisan gerrymandering. 377 U.S. at 578-79, 84 S.Ct. 1362. In addition to discussing indiscriminate districting within a state, the Court also noted the remedial techniques available to a court confronted with an unconstitutional legislative district. [O]nce a State's legislative apportionment scheme has been found to be unconstitutional, it would be the unusual case in which a court would be justified in not taking appropriate action to insure that no further elections are conducted under the invalid plan. Id. at 585, 84 S.Ct. 1362. While the timing of relief for an unconstitutional plan is an important consideration for a court in crafting a remedy, `any relief accorded can be fashioned in the light of well-known principles of equity.' Id. (quoting Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, 250, 82 S.Ct. 691, 727, 7 L.Ed.2d 663, 705 (1962) (Douglas, J., concurring)). The United States Supreme Court has had occasion to review other constitutional challenges to redistricting statutes. In Karcher v. Daggett, the Court found New Jersey's reapportionment plan unconstitutional because of unexplained population deviations between districts. 462 U.S. 725, 103 S.Ct. 2653, 77 L.Ed.2d 133 (1983). The Court discussed a two-part burden shifting approach for population deviation cases. The first consideration for a court to consider is whether the population differences among districts could have been reduced or eliminated altogether by a good-faith effort to draw districts of equal population[,] and that burden belongs to the challenging party. 462 U.S. at 730-31, 103 S.Ct. 2653. Second, [i]f, however, the plaintiffs can establish that the population differences were not the result of a good-faith effort to achieve equality, the State must bear the burden of proving that each significant variance between districts was necessary to achieve some legitimate goal. Id. at 731, 103 S.Ct. 2653 (citations omitted). In Karcher, the plan was unconstitutional because the defendants could not meet their burden. Since that time, the United States Supreme Court has discussed other elements deemed as traditional districting principles. See, e.g., Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630, 113 S.Ct. 2816, 125 L.Ed.2d 511 (1993) (discussing compactness, contiguity and respect for political subdivisions as such principles); Miller v. Johnson, 515 U.S. 900, 115 S.Ct. 2475, 132 L.Ed.2d 762 (1995) (considering communities with actual shared interests as principle of districting); Bush v. Vera, 517 U.S. 952, 116 S.Ct. 1941, 135 L.Ed.2d 248 (1996) (maintaining communities of interest and traditional boundary lines as traditional districting principles); Abrams v. Johnson, 521 U.S. 74, 117 S.Ct. 1925, 138 L.Ed.2d 285 (1997) (mentioning traditional district cores and protecting incumbents from facing each other in reelection campaigns as districting principles). Issues of compactness, contiguity, communities of interest, political gerrymandering, and effective representation are issues that have confronted both federal and state courts in an increasing fashion since the well-founded one person, one vote concept was established by the United States Supreme Court in Sims. Of course, the definitive resolution of this matter requires an examination of the analyses set forth by courts of this jurisdiction and the application of that law to the unique set of facts and circumstances presented in this trial.