Court Case: Reynolds v. Sims
The following examination will be conducted over the court case ​Reynolds v. Sims​. In
this case, ​the Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment requires that the legislative districts across states be equal in population.
In this court case, ​Reynolds​ is the side that best promotes independence. This is because
Reynolds is fighting for the side that would mean the citizens would be governed by the laws
that the state’s representatives made, with no interference from the federal government. James
Madison once stated, “[The States] form distinct and independent portions of the supremacy, no
more subject, within their respective spheres, to [the National Government] than [the National
Government] is subject to them, within its own sphere . . . [The] jurisdiction [of the National
Government] extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the several States a
residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects” (41B). In this statement, Madison is
emphasizing the idea that there is separation between the State and Federal governments and
each works within its own circles and there are few instances where the jurisdiction of the
Federal government can be imposed on the States. Reynolds promotes independence because it is
the side that would give the States independence through legislation and would make sure [The]
jurisdiction [of the National Government] extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves
to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects”.
Reynolds is also the side that promotes federalism. This is because Reynolds is defending
that there should be a definite separation between the State and Federal governments. Alexander
Hamilton once stated, “It will not follow from this doctrine [of the supremacy of the Federal
government] that acts of the [Federal government] which are not pursuant to its constitutional
powers but which are invasions of the residuary authorities of the [States] will become the
supreme law of the land. These will be merely acts of usurpation and will deserve to be treated as
such… It will not, I presume, have escaped observation that it expressly confines this supremacy
to laws made pursuant to the Constitution…” (39C). In this statement, Hamilton is saying that
the Federal government will be restricted by the Constitution and the rest of the power will go to
the States when it comes to determining the laws that the citizen’s will abide by. Reynolds
supports federalism because the “residuary authorities of the [States] will become the supreme
law of the land” and other constitutional-based issues are worked out federally.