Tuesday

10.25.22
Learning Goals: Students will continue their study of how reapportionment and redistricting impact the House of
Representatives. In addition, students will be able to complete a case brief on SCOTUS #4: Baker v. Carr (1962).
Content Standards: 12.4.1. Discuss Article I of the Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch, including eligibility for
office and lengths of terms of representatives and senators; election to office; the roles of the House and Senate in
impeachment proceedings; the role of the vice president; the enumerated legislative powers; and the process by which a bill
becomes a law.
Quiz: The Structure of Congress
Today’s Folder
10 minutes
Current Events: Rise in Anti-Semitism
 Reapportionment
• The census occurs every 10
years.
• The census is when the
government counts the
population of the United
States.
• After the census Congress
conducts reapportionment. Video – The Amazing Apportionment
• This is where Congress Machine
redistributes seats in the While watching, be sure you can answer the
House of Reps - taking seats following 2 questions:
away from states that lost 1. How does the “method of equal
proportions” apportion seats in the
population and giving them to House?
states that gained population. 2. What does this process assure about the
size of each district?
Richie Reyes: Karla ROJAS:
Similarity or Similarity or
Difference: Difference:
● More states are ● California lost a seat
losing seats than while Texas gained
gaining them. two seats.
Conclusion: Conclusion:
● People are moving ● A conclusion that
out of states that can be made is that
are losing seats to people are moving
states that are out of California and
gaining them. moving to Texas.

Eric Lopez:
Similarity or Difference:
● Texas gained 2 seats whereas California lost 1 seat .
Conclusion:
● A conclusion that can drawn is California is an expensive state to live whereas in
Texas its less expensive, people are moving due to the cost of living.
 These would NOT have earned
the point for identifying a
similarity or difference - WHY
NOT?
1. The states that lost seats in the 2020 census
were more democratic than the states that
gained seats, which were states that voted
Republican in the 2020 election.
2. Most states with a higher population lost 1
seat such as California, New York, and Illinois.
3. One difference is that the states that tend to
be liberal lost one seat in the 2020 Census
while the States that are Conservative gained
one or two seats in the 2020 Census.
PRO TIP: When asked about a
4. Most popular States Like California and New similarity/difference - You write
York are losing a seat. about ONLY what you see!
What can be proven by the map?
 Let’s Practice Again!

1. Define (re)Apportionment. (It was defined in yesterday’s slides)

2. Describe a similarity or difference in Apportionment of the U.S. House of
Representatives between 2010 and 2020 as illustrated by the map.
3. Draw a conclusion about the similarity or difference you identified in Part 2.
 **Reapportionment leads to Redistricting

California you lost population so you
have lost a seat - we are reapportioning
you from 53 to 52 :(
DARN! Now we have to redistrict our
state! Which means we have to re-draw
the districts in our state (and eliminate
one whole district) to account for
population changes within our state!

• After Congress reapportions

seats to the states, their role
in the process is finished.
 Redistricting
• In a majority of states the state legislature controls the redistricting process.
• This means that whatever party is in control of that state at that time will
usually try to draw districts in a way that benefits their party and hurts the
other party. (instead of voters choosing the representatives, representatives
are choosing their voters).
• This is called gerrymandering.
• How these district boundaries are drawn has a huge impact on political
participation and the makeup of the House of Representatives.
• Until the 1960’s, redistricting issues were considered “political questions” rather
than “justiciable questions”
• Questions for the legislature(people) to decide.
• Question capable of being answered with legal reasoning
• However, a landmark decision in 1962 opened the door for the Court’s to get
involved in redistricting cases.
 Required Supreme Court Case #3
Baker v. Carr (1962)
• You will be completing 2
assignments at once!
1. Watch the
Edpuzzle/Khan Academy
Video
• Answer questions
embedded in video.
2. While watching the
video you will be
prompted at various
times to stop and fill HOMEWORK IF NOT FINISHED
out the Baker vs. Carr
SCOTUS case brief IN CLASS