Home > Great American Court Cases > Reynolds v. Sims

Legal Citation: 377 U.S. 533 (1964)

Appellant
R. A. Reynolds

Appellee
M. O. Sims

Appellant's Claim
That representation in both houses of state legislatures must be based on population.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant
W. McLean Pitts

Chief Lawyer for Appellee
Charles Morgan, Jr.

Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, William J. Brennan, Jr., Tom C. Clark, William O. Douglas, Arthur Goldberg, Potter Stewart, Earl Warren (writing for the Court), Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
John Marshall Harlan I

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
15 June 1964

Decision
The Supreme Court held that the equal representation guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that the configuration of districts be based on population distribution.