2025 Code of Georgia
Title 28 - General Assembly (Chs. 1 — 12)
Chapter 2 - Apportionment and Member Qualifications (§§ 28-2-1 — 28-2-2)
Annotations
JUDICIAL DECISIONS
Permissible variance in apportionment. —A mathematical formula fixing a maximum variance by which the population of a district may differ from the average district population is not possible, but a variance of more than 15 percent would be difficult, if not impossible, to justify. The court will base any test as to the reasonableness of variances on the departure figure of 15 percent. This does not mean a deliberate built-in variance of this degree but a good faith effort to meet the average with departure only where necessary to afford individual representation to as many counties as possible. Toombs v. Fortson, 241 F. Supp. 65, 1965 U. S. Dist. LEXIS 6316 (N. D. Ga. 1965), aff'd, 384 U. S. 210, 86 S. Ct. 1464, 16 L. Ed. 2d 482, 1966 U. S. LEXIS 1649 (1966).
Judicial review of legislative apportionment. —The proper judicial approach is to ascertain whether, under the particular circumstances existing in the individual state whose legislative apportionment is at issue, there has been a faithful adherence to a plan of population-based representation, with such minor deviations only as may occur in recognizing certain factors that are free from any taint of arbitrariness or discrimination. Toombs v. Fortson, 241 F. Supp. 65, 1965 U. S. Dist. LEXIS 6316 (N. D. Ga. 1965), aff'd, 384 U. S. 210, 86 S. Ct. 1464, 16 L. Ed. 2d 482, 1966 U. S. LEXIS 1649 (1966).
Research References & Practice Aids
Cross references.Composition of General Assembly, Ga. Const. 1983, Art. III, Sec. II.
Designation of congressional districts, § 21-1-2.
Law reviews.For article, “Walking the Line: Modern Gerrymandering and Partisanship,” see 52 Ga. L. Rev. 1011 (2018).
For article, “The First Amendment Case Against Partisan Gerrymandering,” see 52 Ga. L. Rev. 1042 (2018).
For article, “The History of Redistricting in Georgia,” see 52 Ga. L. Rev. 1060 (2018).
For article, “Constitutional Preservation and the Judicial Review of Partisan Gerrymanders,” see 52 Ga. L. Rev. 1108 (2018).
For article, “Partisan Gerrymandering and the Constitutionalization of Statistics,” see 68 Emory L. J. 979 (2019).
For article, “Rucho for Minimalists,” see 71 Mercer L. Rev. 695 (2020).
RESEARCH REFERENCES ALR.What Compelling Interests Will Justify Racial Gerrymandering, 66 A. L. R. Fed. 3d 3.
Hierarchy Notes:O. C. G. A. Title 28
