Gerrymandering and Congressional Redistricting

Every 10 years congressional redistricting occurs for which of the following reasons?

• 1. To assign members of the House of Representatives to new committees

• 1. To determine how many state legislators will be eligible to run for Congress

• 1. To reshape political districts to benefit one party over the other

• 1. To divide a state into new political districts after changes in population

Political action committees make larger total contributions to House races than Senate races because

• 1. House members are more likely to vote the way the Political Action Committee wants

• 1. House members have more influence on legislation than the Senate

• 1. the entire house is up for election every two years 

• 1. Senators are much wealthier than representatives

Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true? 

3.  

• 1.  It has been banned by United States Supreme Court decisions beginning with Baker v Carr.

• 1. It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible.

• 1. It guarantees greater constituency control over elected representatives. 

• 1. It was used traditionally to maintain urban control of the House of Representatives. 

This case ruled that claims of racial redistricting must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny, meaning that any law that results in classification by race must have a compelling government interest, be narrowly tailored to meet that goal, and be the least restrictive means for achieving that interest.

• 1. McDonald v. Chicago

• 1. Shaw v. Reno

• 1. Gibbons v. Ogden

• 1. Baker v. Carr

This case established the standard of "one person, one vote" and opened the door for the Court to rule on redistricting cases ending malapportionment in state legislative districts. 

• 1. Shaw v. Reno

• 1. Gibbons v. Ogden

• 1. Baker v. Carr

• 1. McCulloch v. Maryland