Pontiac in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
One Person One Vote
Michigan Legal Milestone
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2022
1. One Person One Vote Marker
August Gus Scholle then president of the Michigan AFL-CIO, was troubled by the fact that his Oakland County State Senate District in 1958 held more than 12 times the number of persons than an outstate district yet each district elected one senator, meaning his vote was worth less, proportionately, than that of a voter in the outstate district. Other district disparities were almost as great, giving rural areas disproportionate influence in the Legislature.
In 1959 Scholle filed a novel and historic lawsuit, contending that such disparities violated the U.S. Constitutions 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause, which he believed affirms the right of each citizen to substantially equal voting power. Although the Michigan Supreme Court denied relief in 1960, the court later ruled favorably to Scholles position in 1962 and again in 1964, after U.S. Supreme Court remands following that Courts decisions in cases arising in Tennessee and Alabama.
The Scholle case played a leading role in creating the legal principle that state legislative districts must be apportioned on a one person one vote basis.
Erected 1990 by The State Bar of Michigan and The Oakland County Bar Association. (Marker Number 12.)
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Location. 42° 39.322′ N, 83° 19.598′ W. Marker is in Pontiac, Michigan, in Oakland County. It is on Court Tower Boulevard 0.1 miles west of County Center Drive East, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located beside the walkway, near the Oakland County Courthouse south entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1200 Court Tower Boulevard, Pontiac MI 48341, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan and in Greater Detroit. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Elizabeth Denison Forth (here, next to this marker); The Courthouse / Oakland County (here, next to this marker); Oakland County World War I Memorial (here, next to this marker); Michigan's Auto Industry (a few steps from this marker); Helena Sexauer Memorial Planting (within shouting distance of this marker); Votes For Women (within shouting distance of this marker); Oakland County Fallen Heroes Memorial
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2022
2. One Person One Vote Marker
Also see . . .
1. One Man One Vote.
In the United States, the "one person, one vote" principle was invoked in a series of cases by the Warren Court in the 1960s during the height of related civil rights activities. Applying the Equal Protection Clause of the constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion (54) led by Chief Justice Earl Warren in Reynolds v. Sims (1964) ruled that state legislatures, unlike the U.S. Congress, needed to have representation in both houses that was based on districts containing roughly equal populations, with redistricting as needed after censuses. Some had an upper house based on an equal number of representatives to be elected from each county, which gave undue political power to rural counties.(Submitted on September 10, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. One Person One Vote.
Scholle v. Hare (1960, Michigan Supreme Court)(Submitted on September 10, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Scholle v. Hare (1962, U.S. Supreme Court)
Scholle v. Hare (1962, Michigan Supreme Court)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 10, 2022
3. One Person One Vote Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 217 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 10, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
