Keller ISD\u2019s election system does not discriminate against Hispanic voters, a federal judge ruled as he dismissed a voting rights lawsuit against the district<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n In a Jan. 15 decision, U.S. District Judge Reed O\u2019Connor tossed the case and ordered the plaintiff\u2019s legal team \u2014 the nonprofit arm of a firm that\u2019s challenged election systems at school districts<\/a> across North Texas \u2014 to explain why they shouldn\u2019t be sanctioned for filing what he called a \u201cbaseless petition.\u201d<\/p>\n Keller parent Claudio Vallejo sued the district last year arguing that its at-large voting system unlawfully dilutes Hispanic voter strength and prevents residents of color from electing candidates of their choice. Hispanic students make up nearly 25% of the district\u2019s enrollment.<\/p>\n Vallejo\u2019s attorneys from the Brewer Storefront, the nonprofit legal affiliate of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, sought to replace the district\u2019s system where all voters select each trustee. The lawsuit sought a cumulative voting system, a method allowed under state law that gives voters multiple votes to distribute among candidates.<\/p>\n \u201cWe proposed cumulative voting as a lawful way to broaden participation and give community members a stronger voice in the political process,\u201d said William A. Brewer III, a partner at Brewer Storefront. \u201cThe Voting Rights Act has served that goal for decades. It can continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor rejected that proposal, pointing to longstanding precedent that requires plaintiffs to show that communities of color are large and geographically concentrated enough to form a majority in a single-member district, a requirement Vallejo admitted he could not meet.<\/p>\n \u201cHis theory advocates exactly what the Supreme Court has decried as unlawful \u2014 the prohibited goal of mandating proportional representation,\u201d O\u2019Connor wrote.<\/p>\n The judge dismissed Vallejo\u2019s constitutional claims under the 14th and 15th amendments, which alleged racial discrimination in how the district maintains its election system. O\u2019Connor found no evidence of discriminatory intent or disparate impact.<\/p>\n He went further, calling the plaintiffs\u2019 cumulative voting formula \u2014 which would allow a group with 12.5% of the voting-age population to elect a trustee \u2014 a \u201cquintessentially race-conscious calculus\u201d and \u201cunlawful in context.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor granted Keller ISD\u2019s request for attorney\u2019s fees and gave the Brewer Storefront\u2019s legal team until Feb. 5 to justify why they shouldn\u2019t face additional court sanctions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe respect Judge O\u2019Connor and the court; however, we strongly disagree with the decision,\u201d Brewer said. \u201cKeller ISD serves a diverse community, yet its all-white school board oversees outcomes that disproportionately disadvantage students of color.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Vallejo plans to appeal, Brewer said, \u201cin pursuit of an outcome that is beneficial to the district, its students and its schools.\u201d<\/p>\n The Brewer Storefront has previously challenged school board election systems in several North Texas districts \u2014 including Grand Prairie<\/a>, Lewisville, Richardson and Eagle Mountain-Saginaw \u2014 arguing they dilute minority voting power. In Grand Prairie, the firm helped secure a 2014 settlement that shifted the district to a hybrid model with five single-member districts. Most recently, it prompted changes in Lewisville ISD<\/a>, which is transitioning to a similar structure.<\/p>\n In Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, the Storefront won a 2015 lawsuit<\/a> that led to the adoption of cumulative voting. The board now includes two Hispanic trustees<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n If O\u2019Connor proceeds with sanctions, those penalties could range from fines to formal reprimands.<\/p>\n Keller ISD\u2019s attorneys maintain the lawsuit lacks a legal foundation and should be dismissed, according to court filings.<\/p>\n \u201cKeller ISD was notified last week that the lawsuit filed against the district regarding our at-large election system was dismissed by the court,\u201d district spokesperson Bryce Nieman said. \u201cOur focus remains on serving all students within our community and ensuring that we continue to provide them with exceptional educational opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n The Keller case was first filed in February amid broader tensions within the district.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, trustees proposed<\/a> \u2014 then scrapped<\/a> \u2014 a controversial plan to split Keller ISD in two. That move triggered lawsuits<\/a>, public protests<\/a>, the superintendent\u2019s resignation and legislation from state lawmakers<\/a>. It was cited in Vallejo\u2019s original complaint as evidence of systemic disenfranchisement of Hispanic families west of Denton Highway.<\/p>\n Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n