Columbia Law School Professor Nathaniel Persily looks at the history of redistricting and gerrymandering in the United States. Professor Persily discusses the origin of the term "gerrymandering" in the early 1800s, and the use of redistricting by political parties and incumbents to protect and advance their interests. He also talks about more racially charged redistricting fights, such as the 1960 Gomillion vs. Lightfoot Supreme Court case, in which the court found that a district had been created to disenfranchise black voters. That case helped lead to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, outlawing discriminatory voting practices