Harris v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14-232 | D. Ariz. | Dec 8, 2015 | Apr 25, 2025 | 8-0 | Breyer | OT 2015 |
Holding: The federal district court did not err in upholding Arizona's redistricting plan because the plan's population deviations predominantly reflected efforts to achieve compliance with the Voting Rights Act, not to secure political advantage for the Democratic Party.
Judgment: Affirmed, 8-0, in an opinion by Justice Breyer on April 25, 2025.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion analysis: A narrow, but unanimous, ruling on Arizona redistricting (Amy Howe, April 20, 2016)
- Argument analysis: Justices hard to read on Arizona redistricting plan (Amy Howe, December 8, 2015)
- Argument preview: Does one person, one vote yield to partisan politics or the Voting Rights Act? (Amy Howe, December 6, 2015)
- The new look at "one person, one vote," made simple (Lyle Denniston, July 27, 2015)
- Review of new Arizona election case narrowed (Lyle Denniston, July 2, 2015)
- A new look at race and politics in redistricting (Lyle Denniston, June 30, 2015)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 08/25/2014 | Statement as to jurisdiction filed. (Response due September 29, 2014) |
| 09/15/2014 | Order extending time to file response to statement as to jurisdiction to and including October 29, 2014. |
| 09/17/2014 | Waiver of right of appellee Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett to respond filed. |
| 10/20/2014 | Order further extending time to file response to statement as to jurisdiction to and including November 13, 2014. |
| 11/13/2014 | Motion to dismiss or affirm filed by appellees Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, et al. |
| 12/02/2014 | Reply of appellants Wesley W. Harris, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| 12/03/2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 9, 2015. |
| 06/25/2015 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of June 29, 2015. |
| 06/30/2015 | PROBABLE JURISDICTION NOTED. |
| 07/02/2015 | The order noting probable jurisdiction is amended as follows: In this case probable jurisdiction is noted limited to Questions 1 and 2 presented by the statement as to jurisdiction. |
| 07/24/2015 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the appellants. |
| 07/29/2015 | The time to file the joint appendix and appellants' brief on the merits is extended to and including September 4, 2015. |
| 07/29/2015 | The time to file appellees' brief on the merits is extended to and including October 26, 2015. |
| 07/31/2015 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs in support of either party or of neither party received from counsel for appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan. |
| 09/04/2015 | Brief of appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants filed. |
| 09/04/2015 | Joint appendix filed. |
| 09/04/2015 | Brief of appellants Wesley W. Harris, et al. filed. |
| 09/10/2015 | Brief amicus curiae of Southern Coalition for Social Justice in support of neither party filed. |
| 10/09/2015 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Tuesday, DECEMBER 8, 2015 |
| 10/19/2015 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the appellee Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. |
| 10/19/2015 | Record requested from U.S.D.C. District of Arizona. |
| 10/26/2015 | Brief of appellee Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission filed. |
| 10/27/2015 | CIRCULATED |
| 10/30/2015 | Motion for divided argument filed by appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants. |
| 11/02/2015 | Brief amicus curiae of the United States filed. (Distributed) |
| 11/02/2015 | Brief amici curiae of Former Officials of the U.S. Department of Justice Who Enforced the Voting Rights Act filed. (Distributed) |
| 11/02/2015 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed. |
| 11/02/2015 | Brief amici curiae of The Navajo Nation and Leonard Gorman filed. (Distributed) |
| 11/02/2015 | Brief amicus curiae of Samuel S. Wang, Ph.D. filed. (Distributed) |
| 11/02/2015 | Brief amici curiae of Professors Nicholas Stephanoupolis and Simon Jackman filed. (Distributed) |
| 11/24/2015 | Motion for divided argument filed by appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants. GRANTED. |
| 11/24/2015 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED. |
| 11/25/2015 | Reply of appellant Wesley W. Harris, et al. (Distributed) |
| 11/25/2015 | Letter and 8 1/2 x 11 inch copies of exhibits that appear in appellants' brief on the merits received. |
| 11/25/2015 | Reply of appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants filed. (Distributed) |
| 12/08/2015 | Argued. For appellants: Mark F. Hearne, II, St. Louis, Mo. For appellee Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan in support of appellants: Mark Brnovich, Arizona Attorney General, Phoenix, Ariz. For appellee Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission: Paul M. Smith, Washington, D. C.; and Sarah E. Harrington, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) |
| 04/20/2016 | Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Breyer, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. |
| 05/23/2016 | JUDGMENT ISSUED |