Harris v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission

Docket No.	Op. Below	Argument	Opinion	Vote	Author	Term
14-232	D. Ariz.	Dec 8, 2015 Tr.Aud.	Apr 20, 2016	8-0	Breyer	OT 2015

Holding: The federal district court did not err in upholding Arizona's redistricting plan because the plan's population deviations predominantly reflected efforts to achieve compliance with the Voting Rights Act, not to secure political advantage for the Democratic Party.

Judgment: Affirmed, 8-0, in an opinion by Justice Breyer on April 20, 2016.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

Opinion analysis: A narrow, but unanimous, ruling on Arizona redistricting (Amy Howe)
Argument analysis: Justices hard to read on Arizona redistricting plan (Amy Howe)
Argument preview: Does “one person, one vote” yield to partisan politics or the Voting Rights Act? (Amy Howe)
The new look at "one person, one vote," made simple (Lyle Denniston)
Review of new Arizona election case narrowed (Lyle Denniston)
A new look at race and politics in redistricting (Lyle Denniston)

Date	Proceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
Aug 25 2014	Statement as to jurisdiction filed. (Response due September 29, 2014)
Sep 15 2014	Order extending time to file response to statement as to jurisdiction to and including October 29, 2014.
Sep 17 2014	Waiver of right of appellee Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett to respond filed.
Oct 20 2014	Order further extending time to file response to statement as to jurisdiction to and including November 13, 2014.
Nov 13 2014	Motion to dismiss or affirm filed by appellees Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, et al.
Dec 2 2014	Reply of appellants Wesley W. Harris, et al. filed. (Distributed)
Dec 3 2014	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 9, 2015.
Jun 25 2015	DISTRIBUTED for Conference of June 29, 2015.
Jun 30 2015	PROBABLE JURISDICTION NOTED.
Jul 24 2015	Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the appellants.
Jul 29 2015	The time to file the joint appendix and appellants' brief on the merits is extended to and including September 4, 2015.
Jul 29 2015	The time to file appellees' brief on the merits is extended to and including October 26, 2015.
Jul 31 2015	Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs in support of either party or of neither party received from counsel for appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan.
Sep 4 2015	Brief of appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants filed.
Sep 4 2015	Joint appendix filed.
Sep 4 2015	Brief of appellants Wesley W. Harris, et al. filed.
Sep 10 2015	Brief amicus curiae of Southern Coalition for Social Justice in support of neither party filed.
Oct 9 2015	SET FOR ARGUMENT on Tuesday, DECEMBER 8, 2015
Oct 19 2015	Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the appellee Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.
Oct 19 2015	Record requested from U.S.D.C. District of Arizona.
Oct 26 2015	Brief of appellee Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission filed.
Oct 27 2015	CIRCULATED
Oct 30 2015	Motion for divided argument filed by appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants.
Nov 2 2015	Brief amicus curiae of the United States filed. (Distributed)
Nov 2 2015	Brief amici curiae of Former Officials of the U.S. Department of Justice Who Enforced the Voting Rights Act filed. (Distributed)
Nov 2 2015	Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
Nov 2 2015	Brief amici curiae of The Navajo Nation and Leonard Gorman filed. (Distributed)
Nov 2 2015	Brief amicus curiae of Samuel S. Wang, Ph.D. filed. (Distributed)
Nov 2 2015	Brief amici curiae of Professors Nicholas Stephanoupolis and Simon Jackman filed. (Distributed)
Nov 24 2015	Motion for divided argument filed by appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants. GRANTED.
Nov 24 2015	Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED.
Nov 25 2015	Reply of appellant Wesley W. Harris, et al. (Distributed)
Nov 25 2015	Letter and 8 1/2 x 11 inch copies of exhibits that appear in appellants' brief on the merits received.
Nov 25 2015	Reply of appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants filed. (Distributed)
Dec 8 2015	Argued. For appellants: Mark F. Hearne, II, St. Louis, Mo. For appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants: Mark Brnovich, Arizona Attorney General, Phoenix, Ariz. For appellee Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission: Paul M. Smith, Washington, D. C.; and Sarah E. Harrington, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.)
Apr 20 2016	Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Breyer, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
May 23 2016	JUDGMENT ISSUED

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Editor's Note :

Harris v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission

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Academic highlight: Levitt on the collateral consequences of Department of Commerce v. New York – Amanda Frost

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