Bartlett v. Strickland

Bartlett v. Strickland
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued October 14, 2008 Decided March 9, 2009
Full case name	Gary Bartlett, Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, et al., Petitioners v. Dwight Strickland, et al.
Citations	556 U.S. 1 (more) 128 S.Ct. 1648
Prior history	Cert. to the Supreme Court of North Carolina
Holding
A minority group must constitute a numerical majority of the voting-age population in an area before §2 of the Voting Rights Act would require the creation of a legislative district to prevent dilution of that group’s votes.
Court membership
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Associate Justices John P. Stevens · Antonin Scalia Anthony Kennedy · David Souter Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Case opinions
Plurality	Kennedy, joined by Roberts, Alito
Concurrence	Thomas, joined by Scalia
Dissent	Souter, joined by Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer
Dissent	Ginsburg
Dissent	Breyer

Bartlett v. Strickland, 556 U.S. 1 (2009), is a United States Supreme Court case in which, in a plurality decision, the Court held that a minority group must constitute a numerical majority of the voting-age population in an area before §2 of the Voting Rights Act would require the creation of a legislative district to prevent dilution of that group’s votes. The decision struck down a North Carolina redistricting plan that attempted to preserve minority voting power in a state House of Representatives district that was 39 percent black. Justice Kennedy delivered the decision and was joined by Justices Alito and Roberts. Justice Thomas filed a concurring opinion that was joined by Justice Scalia. Justice Souter filed a dissenting opinion that was joined by Justices Stevens, Ginsburg, and Breyer. Justices Ginsburg and Breyer also filed separate dissenting opinions.

See also

• Thornburg v. Gingles, 478 U.S. 30 (1986)
• Holder v. Hall, 512 U.S. 874 (1994)

External links

• Text of the Decision