Ball v. James Case Brief Summary | Law Case Explained

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Ball v. James, 451 U.S. 355 (1981)
A law limiting voting to landowners sounds like something from the eighteen hundreds. But the Supreme Court upheld such a scheme in nineteen eighty-one in Ball versus James.
The Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District was formed as a governmental entity in 1937. The district’s primary purpose is storage and delivery of water to land in central Arizona. The district also makes money by selling electricity to hundreds of thousands of people in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The district can raise money by selling bonds and taxing property. It can exercise eminent domain, allocate water within its boundaries, and set its own rates and conditions of service. It can’t impose sales taxes or property taxes based on the assessed value of the property. It can’t enact laws or perform traditional governmental functions such as maintaining streets or operating schools.
Only voters who own land within the district can vote for district directors and council members. Voting power is apportioned based upon the number of acres owned.
Roland James and other district residents sued Germain Ball and other district officials, alleging that the district’s voting scheme violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, specifically the principle of one person, one vote articulated in Reynolds versus Sims. The federal district court dismissed the complaint, but the Ninth Circuit reversed. The Supreme Court granted cert.
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