Pasadena Won’t Fight Appeals Court Ruling On Voting Rights Lawsuit, For Now

PASADENA, TX -- The fight to revert to the voting scheme that landed the city of Pasadena in hot water with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in November appears to finally be over.

After a second courtroom defeat earlier this month in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the city has decided to honor court ruling and allow the upcoming May council elections to proceed with eight-single member district seats, versus the 2013 scheme that was changed to six single member seats and two at-large seats.

(For news updates on this story and other Pasadena news, just click here to get Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts).

On Jan. 6, U.S. District Court Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ruled against Pasadena’s voting district configuration for city council seats, and stated that it violated the Voting Rights Act, and served to dilute the voice of a growing Latino voting bloc in Pasadena.

After Rosenthal issued her ruling, she ordered the city to return to the pre-2013 eight single-member districts, which prompted an influx of potential candidates to sign up for the city council election.

The city filed an appeal to Rosenthal’s ruling in January, and asked the court of appeals to hear the case.

The Fifth Circuit Court agreed and scheduled a hearing for Feb. 1.

The court heard arguments on Feb 1 from attorneys representing the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the City of Pasadena, a federal voting rights lawsuit.

Two days later, the appeals court denied a request from the city for temporary stay as the city prepares for the next city-wide election for city council on May 6.

Meanwhile, the city still has to obtain a preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice, which was part of Rosenthal’s order on Jan 6.

Attorneys representing the city said that the city still plans to appeal the original decision.

Image: Shutterstock

Don’t forget to like the Pasadena Patch Facebook Page