The U.S. Supreme Court case White, Secretary of State of Texas, et al. v. Regester et al., 1972 revolved around the issue of whether or not multi-member districting in certain areas within Texas violated the Equal Protection Clause due to racial discrimination and dilution of minority voting power. The plaintiffs were a group of African American and Mexican American residents who argued that this system was discriminatory because it diluted their votes and prevented them from electing representatives who could advocate for their interests effectively. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs by a vote count 8-1, stating that these specific districts did indeed violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause as they had been drawn with an intent to minimize minority representation in government bodies. This ruling established important precedent regarding redistricting laws across America; it emphasized that states must ensure fair representation for all citizens regardless race or ethnicity when drawing up electoral districts.

In the dissenting opinion for White, Secretary of State of Texas, et al. v. Regester et al., Justice Powell argued that the majority's decision was a departure from established precedent and an unwarranted intrusion into state affairs. He contended that there was no evidence to suggest intentional discrimination in Texas' redistricting plan and emphasized that population disparities alone were not enough to prove unconstitutional gerrymandering under previous Supreme Court rulings. Furthermore, he expressed concern over the potential implications of this ruling on future cases involving reapportionment disputes as it could encourage unnecessary litigation and judicial interference with legislative functions.