Houston Chronicle Reports on Humble ISD Voting Rights Lawsuit
May 10, 2024 – The Houston Chronicle reports on a voting rights lawsuit filed by Brewer Storefront on behalf of plaintiff Judith Bautista against the Humble Independent School District on Thursday. The lawsuit was filed as part of the Storefront’s recently announced Texas Voting Rights Initiative (TVRI).
The article notes that the lawsuit states that the district has a geographically significant Hispanic population that would allow for at least one Hispanic-majority single member district to be drawn for increased representation.
The article notes that the lawsuit comes after the Storefront sent letters to 11 school districts in March as part of a statewide initiative to secure voting rights among Texas’ minority populations.
Brewer Storefront Partner William Brewer told the Chronicle that the plaintiff is now taking action because "time is of the essence when people are being denied the right to fairly participate in the political process," adding that the board "indicated no meaningful willingness to bring the electoral system into compliance with the Voting Rights Act."
Read the Houston Chronicle report here.
Houston Chronicle Reports on Texas Voting Rights Initiative
March 15, 2024 – The Houston Chronicle newspaper reports on Brewer Storefront and its newly announced Texas Voting Rights Initiative. The article notes that the Storefront sent warning letters to two school districts in the Houston area – Humble Independent School District and the Angleton Independent School District.
The letters accuse the school district of violating the Voting Rights Act with their current at large system of electing trustees in May. Brewer Storefront is the community service affiliate of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. The article noted that the letters said each school district could have at least one Hispanic opportunity district, where the Hispanic voting population makes up more than 50% of the district’s residents, adopt a single member district election system and move elections to November, when there is higher voter turnout.
Partner William Brewer III told the Chronicle that the letters represented “pleas to do the right thing.” He added, “It’s an age-old story: white dominated school boards, despite the fact that the majority of users of the service are the ones who have no representation.”
He added that the initiative will expand to other districts in the state and that, “We started here, (but) it’s not where we hope it ends.”
Houston Chronicle: Judge Bars Enforcement of Farmers Branch Rental Law
June 5, 2007 –The Houston Chronicle reports that U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay extended an order preventing the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch from enforcing a voter-approved ordinance barring apartment rentals to most illegal immigrants.
The judge decided that a temporary restraining order issued the month prior would remain in effect until June 19, 2007.
“Farmers Branch should not be in the business of determining who is in the country legally,” said then Brewer attorney Jim Renard, who was representing three apartment complexes. He added that the ordinance should be “tossed.”
Read more here.