DOUGLAS GINSBURG, Federal Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit:
Some states have more representatives than others because they have more people. Under our Constitution, the size of a state’s delegation in the House of Representatives is based on the size of its population.

Our most populous state – California – has 52 representatives. The least populous states have one member: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wyoming. One member each.
We sometimes call our nation a democracy, but it really isn’t. In a democracy, the people themselves make the laws by majority vote. The Framers of the Constitution saw the danger of a pure democracy: mob rule. No safeguards for the rights of the minority.
The Framers gave us a republic, with a Constitution that protects the rights of the minority. In a republic, we the people elect our representatives, who then make the laws. But remember: our representatives govern only with our consent – through the vote.