Tennant v. Jefferson County Commission
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-1184 | S.D. W. Va. | Not Argued | Sep 25, 2012 | N/A | Per Curiam | OT 2011 |
Holding: In holding that West Virginia"s 2011 congressional redistricting plan violates the principle of "one person, one vote," the district court misapplied the standard, set out in Karcher v. Daggett (1983), for evaluating challenges to redistricting plans and failed to afford appropriate deference to West Virginia"s reasonable exercise of its political judgment. Although West Virginia could have adopted a plan with lower variations in population among the districts, the state carried its burden to show that population deviations were necessary to achieve legitimate state objectives, such as avoiding contests between incumbents and not splitting political subdivisions.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded in a per curiam opinion on September 25, 2012.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion recap: Hedging on "one person, one vote" (Lyle Denniston, September 25, 2012)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 01/13/2012 | Application (11A674) for a stay pending appeal, submitted to The Chief Justice. |
| 01/13/2012 | Response to application (11A674) requested by The Chief Justice, due Tuesday, January 17, 2012, by 3:30 p.m. |
| 01/17/2012 | Response to application from respondent Jefferson County Commission, et al. filed. |
| 01/18/2012 | Reply of applicant Natalie E. Tennant, West Virginia Secretary of State, et al. filed. |
| 01/20/2012 | Application (11A674) referred to the Court. |
| 01/20/2012 | Application (11A674) granted by the Court. It is ordered that the judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, case No. 2:11-cv-0989, entered January 3, 2012, and amended January 4, 2012, is stayed pending the timely filing and disposition of an appeal to this Court. |
| 03/27/2012 | Statement as to jurisdiction filed. (Response due April 30, 2012) |
| 04/24/2012 | Order extending time to file response to jurisdictional statement to and including May 25, 2012. |
| 05/23/2012 | Waiver of right of appellee Thornton Cooper to respond filed. |
| 05/25/2012 | Motion to dismiss or affirm filed by appellees Jefferson County Commission, et al. |
| 06/05/2012 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of June 21, 2012. |
| 06/05/2012 | Reply of appellant Natalie E. Tennant, West Virginia Secretary of State, et al., Appellants filed. (Distributed) |
| 09/17/2012 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 24, 2012. |
| 09/25/2012 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Opinion per curiam. (Detached Opinion) |
| 10/29/2012 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |