Supreme Court of the United States

Hadley v. Junior College District of Metropolitan Kansas City

February 25, 1970397 U.S. 50

Summary

The Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause requires "one man, one vote" in elections of junior college trustees, and that Missouri’s statutory apportionment scheme, which systematically favored smaller districts, violated that requirement. The Court reversed the Missouri Supreme Court and remanded for a constitutionally compliant apportionment. Justice Harlan and Chief Justice Burger dissented, arguing the decision overextends the "one man, one vote" doctrine.

Holding

  • Does the Fourteenth Amendment require equal voting weight in elections of local governmental officials such as junior college trustees?. Yes; the Equal Protection Clause mandates that each qualified voter be given an equal opportunity to participate in elections of officials who perform governmental functions, and districts must be apportioned as far as practicable to ensure equal voting power.
  • Is Missouri’s statutory formula for apportioning junior college trustees constitutional under the Equal Protection Clause?. No; the formula, which allocates trustees based on fixed percentage ranges and always gives larger districts fewer trustees than their proportional share, violates the constitutional requirement of equal voting power.

Docket 37

Cited authorities

  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 178.820
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 171.011
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 177.031
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 177.041
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 178.770
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 178.850-178.890
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 178.800
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 167.011

Cited by

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