Gomillion v. Lightfoot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gomillion v. Lightfoot |
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| Argued October 18–19, 1960 Decided November 14, 1960 |
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| Full case name | Gomillion et al. v. Lightfoot, Mayor of Tuskegee, et al. |
| Citations | 364 U.S. 339 (more)
364 U.S. 339; 81 S. Ct. 125; 5 L. Ed. 2d 110; 1960 U.S. LEXIS 189
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| Prior history | Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit |
| Holding | |
| Electoral district boundaries drawn only to disenfranchise blacks violate the Fifteenth Amendment. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Frankfurter, joined by Warren, Black, Douglas, Clark, Harlan, Brennan, Stewart |
| Concurrence | Whittaker |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. XV | |
Gomillion v. Lightfoot was an important case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1960. The Court ruled that changing a city's voting district lines to stop Black people from voting was against the Constitution. This decision was unanimous, meaning all the judges agreed. They said it violated the Fifteenth Amendment. This case was one of several that helped lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Contents
What Happened
In 1957, the state of Alabama passed a law called Act number 140. This law changed the shape of the city of Tuskegee's voting district. Tuskegee used to have a square-shaped border. But the new law changed it to a strange, 28-sided shape.
This new shape removed almost all of the city's 400 Black voters from the city limits. However, it did not remove any white voters. The main goal of this change was to stop African-American citizens from being able to vote in city elections.
Charles A. Gomillion and other Black residents who were removed from the city sued the Mayor of Tuskegee, Philip M. Lightfoot. They wanted the court to say the law was unconstitutional. They also wanted the city to be stopped from using this unfair law.
The First Court's Decision
The first court to hear the case was the District Court. This court decided to dismiss the case. This means they refused to hear it. They said they did not have the power to cancel a law passed by the state government.
The court explained its decision by saying that if a law changes city borders, courts usually won't stop it. This is true even if the law's real purpose is to remove Black people from the city. They said this applies even if it takes away their right to vote in city elections.
The Supreme Court's Decision
On November 14, 1960, the Supreme Court looked at the case. They disagreed with the lower court's decision. The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama's law changing the voting districts was unconstitutional.
Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the main opinion for the Court. He said that states usually have the power to make their own rules about their cities. Courts generally don't interfere with these rules.
However, Justice Frankfurter pointed out that Alabama's officials could not explain any good reason for the strange new shape of the district. It was clear that the odd, 28-sided border had only one purpose. That purpose was to stop Black people from taking part in Tuskegee's political system.
Why This Case Was Important
This case was a big moment for the Supreme Court. It showed a change in how the Court would deal with political redistricting. Before this case, the Court was usually careful not to get involved when states set up their city borders.
But Gomillion v. Lightfoot made it clear that states cannot take away citizens' right to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment protects this right. Even though the practice of gerrymandering (drawing unfair district lines) continued after this case, the Court decided it was unconstitutional when it clearly discriminated against any racial group.
See also
In Spanish: Gomillion v. Lightfoot para niños
