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Case Syllabus Appellants Charles Baker Republican resident from Tennessee Mayor of Millington Tennessee v Joe Carr Secretary of State for Tennessee Argued April 18 19 1961 Reargued Oct 9 1961 Decided March 26 1962 Facts This case was presented in a Federal District court in Tennessee on behalf of Mayor Charles Baker and citizens of Tennessee filing a complaint stating that their Fourteenth Amendment rights were being violated Charles Baker and other residents from Tennessee state that Tennessee had not been redistricted since 1901 The Tennessee Constitution required revising districts to redraw seats for the state s General Assembly every ten years to redress any changes in population and had been ignored since then Baker argued that votes of other rural citizens were overrepresented compared to demographically shift that had occurred in his district within the years Baker complained that due to failure to reapportioning the seats in the General Assembly apart from the disparity of population of his district and substantial growth they lacked debasement of their votes and caused him to lack equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment Charles Baker filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Joe Carr due to carrying out elections and district maps State sets district lines Tennessee dismissed case because they alleged that courts could not resolved this matter due to being a political issue Court Holding Question Held 2
