Which court case established the one-man, one-vote principle in elections during the civil rights movement?

Study for the USG Legislative Requirements Exam in U.S. and Georgia History and Constitution. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Prepare efficiently for your exam!

The one-man, one-vote principle, which asserts that all citizens’ votes should carry equal weight in elections, was established by the court case Wesberry v. Sanders. This landmark decision, made by the Supreme Court in 1964, addressed the issue of congressional districting in Georgia. The Court ruled that districts must be roughly equal in population to ensure that each vote has the same significance, thus promoting fair representation and upholding the principles of democratic equality.

Wesberry v. Sanders emerged during a critical period in the civil rights movement when issues of racial and political equity were increasingly being challenged in the courts. This case specifically focused on legislative representation and aimed to eliminate unequal populations in congressional districts, thereby correcting the disproportionate influence of voters in less populated districts over those in more populated ones.

The other court cases listed, while significant in their own rights, do not directly relate to the principle of one-man, one-vote. Brown v. Board of Education addressed racial segregation in public schools, Roe v. Wade focused on women’s reproductive rights, and Plessy v. Ferguson historically upheld the doctrine of "separate but equal." Each of these cases played a crucial role in the broader civil rights landscape but did not address the specific

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