Which presidential election case resolved the Florida recount in 2000?

• A. Reynolds v. Sims
• B. Bush v. Gore
• C. Marbury v. Madison
• D. Plessy v. Ferguson

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how the final decision in the 2000 presidential election dispute was reached. In Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court halted the Florida recount and effectively awarded Florida’s electoral votes to George W. Bush, deciding the presidency. The Court’s reasoning centered on the lack of a uniform standard for counting ballots across counties, which meant that voters’ ballots could be valued differently depending on where they were counted. That unequal treatment meant the counting process violated the Equal Protection Clause, and there wasn’t time to fix it with a constitutional statewide standard, so the recount was stopped. This ruling directly determined the outcome of the election.

For context, Reynolds v. Sims is about equal representation in legislative districts, Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review, and Plessy v. Ferguson concerns racial segregation. They’re not about how votes are counted in a statewide election, which is why they don’t fit this scenario.