42
Opinion of the Court
national phenomenon that is " 'all but inevitable.' " Ibid., quoting Howard & Howard, The Dilemma of the Voting Rights Act—Recognizing the Emerging Political Equality Norm, 83 Colum. L. Rev. 1615, 1625 (1983). A law review article on national voting patterns is no substitute for proof that bloc voting occurred in Minneapolis. Cf. Gingles, 478 U. S., at 58-61 (summarizing statistical and anecdotal evidence in that case). Section 2 "does not assume the existence of racial bloc voting; plaintiffs must prove it." Id., at 46.
* * *
The District Court erred in not deferring to the state court's efforts to redraw Minnesota's state legislative and federal congressional districts. Its conclusion that the state court's legislative districting plan (which it treated as merely one available option) violated § 2 of the Voting Rights Act was also erroneous. Having found these defects, we need not consider the other points of error raised by appellants.
The judgment is reversed, and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss.
So ordered.
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