The Connor et al. v. Coleman, Judge, United States Court of Appeals et al., 1978 case was a significant ruling by the U.S Supreme Court that addressed issues related to redistricting and racial discrimination in voting rights. The plaintiffs were white voters from Mississippi who challenged the constitutionality of a court-ordered plan for reapportionment of seats in the state legislature on grounds it violated their Fourteenth Amendment equal protection rights due to its alleged purposeful dilution of white voting strength through "racial gerrymandering". However, the Supreme Court dismissed these claims stating that there was no proof showing intentional racial discrimination against whites or any violation of constitutional rights. The court also noted that federal courts have broad authority under existing law to implement remedial plans when states fail to provide constitutionally valid ones themselves.

In the dissenting opinion for Connor et al. v. Coleman, Judge, United States Court of Appeals, et al., Justice William Brennan disagreed with the majority's decision to dismiss a challenge to Mississippi's legislative redistricting plan on procedural grounds. He argued that this dismissal was inappropriate given the importance and urgency of ensuring equal representation in government as protected by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. According to Brennan, dismissing such cases without hearing them undermines public confidence in democratic institutions and processes by allowing potentially unconstitutional district maps to remain unchallenged until after an election has taken place - thus denying citizens their constitutional right to equal representation during that election cycle.