Gomillion V. Tuskegee Case Brief

In 1960 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Tuskegee city officials redrew the cities boundaries unconstitutionally so that the white candidates in the cities political race could win and the blacks’ votes would not count. This case laid the framework for the passage of the 1965 voters rights act which outlawed discrimination in voting. The case was named after a Tuskegee university professor Charlie A. Gomillion who was the plaintiff and the defendant was the mayor of Tuskegee Phillip M. Lightfoot. Gomillion tried to make it easier for black voters to vote but when he heard that white citizens in his community was trying to redraw the voters boundary line and proposed a bill to the legislature to redraw the boundary line so that the white officials
where bound to get elected .Gomillion and other activists wrote to the county commissioner stating that this violated their fourteenth amendment right which is due process and equal protection. The law was still passed which redrew the voters’ boundary line nearly eliminating the black voters. This was meant to deter the black voters that where registering to vote. This was taken to the judicial court but the court ruled that it was not violating any human rights. The petitioners claimed that the new boundary line was an act of discrimination toward blacks. On November 14th the case was taken to the Supreme Court which ruled in the favor of Gomillion stating that the new boundary line violated their 15th amendment right which prohibits states from passing laws that deprive citizens of their right to vote. This case marked a shift in the involvement with politically redistricting cases. Prior to this ruling the U.S. Supreme Court had been reluctant to interfere with the rights of states to be able draw boundary lines. This case brought up the point that states cannot use that power to deprive citizens of their right to vote.