CBS News Texas Reports on Storefront Lawsuit Against Keller ISD
February 14, 2025 — Brewer Storefront founder William A. Brewer III appeared on CBS News Texas today, speaking on behalf of his client, Keller Independent School District (Keller ISD) parent Claudio Vallejo, regarding his case against Keller ISD and its Board of Trustees. In a lawsuit filed on February 14, Vallejo alleges that the Keller ISD electoral system violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
"This Voting Rights Act of course provides a remedy for voters of color whose votes are being diluted by any [improper] scheme," Brewer said.
The lawsuit says, “From the outside looking in, KISD portrays itself as a premier public school district lauded for its commitment to academic excellence and student success. Families move to the district attendance area in pursuit of high-quality education, believing KISD to be a model of opportunity and fairness. However, for Mr. Vallejo, a long-time resident and invested parent, this image is far from reality.”
As of the 2023-24 school year, KISD was a majority-minority school district, enrolling 33,250 students, of whom nearly 25% are Hispanic. Yet, all seven of the board members are white and non-Hispanic.
Currently, KISD trustees are elected through at-large elections, which Vallejo claims denies Hispanic voters the opportunity to elect candidates of their choosing. The Storefront proposes that Keller ISD has options to adopt a more inclusive voting system, including a cumulative voting model. He believes a more diverse board would be able to better address performance gaps seen in minority students.
To watch the report, click here.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram Reports on Voting Rights Lawsuit Against Keller ISD
February 14, 2025 – The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Brewer Storefront filed a lawsuit against the Keller Independent School District (KISD) in federal court on behalf of plaintiff and Keller parent Claudio Vallejo, alleging that the district's at-large election system violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The article states that the at-large electoral system dilutes the votes of minority voters, particularly Hispanic voters. The report also referred to the current "uproar" over a proposal to split Keller ISD in half, seeking to separate the relative more affluent and white east side from the less affluent, more racially diverse west side. Five of Keller's seven board members reside on the east side.
Attorney William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer Storefront and lead counsel for Vallejo, provided a statement to the Star-Telegram: “The at-large election system used by Keller ISD dilutes the votes of the significant number of Hispanic citizens. Given the racial polarization that exists, white voters are able to block Hispanic voters from electing school board candidates of their choosing — those who would best represent their schools, children and community. As the controversial proposal to split the district in two underscores, the consequence of the at-large voting scheme is a collection of white trustees who are out of touch with the needs of the majority of the children who attend KISD schools.”
Read more here.
Firm Partner Sarah Rogers Nominated for State Department Position
February 12, 2025 — Brewer Partner Sarah Rogers has been nominated for the position of Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of United States in the U.S. State Department.
This important position leads America's public diplomacy outreach, which includes messaging to counter terrorism, support the achievement of U.S. foreign policy goals and strengthen our nation's global relationships. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Rogers will also deal with critical free-speech and censorship issues at home and abroad.
Reporting on the nomination, the publication Semafor wrote, "A partner at the New York litigation boutique Brewer, Rogers represented the National Rifle Association alongside the ACLU in a winning appeal to the Supreme Court last March. She also represented the NRA against the New York State Attorney General, who was seeking to dissolve the organization, which the NRA beat back on First Amendment grounds."
The firm congratulates Rogers on her potential future role under U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Brewer Star-Telegram Op-Ed Urges Keller ISD to Abandon At-Large Voting
February 6, 2025 — Brewer Storefront Chairman William Brewer writes in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that at-large election systems disadvantage minority voters. He points to the use of at-large voting to elect school board trustees in the Keller Independent School District as one example of how at large voting systems fail voters.
"The controversy surrounding a proposal to break up the Keller Independent School District raises fresh concerns about a voting system widely recognized as discriminatory: at-large voting," Brewer writes in the opening of the opinion piece.
Brewer writes that if the more racially diverse west side of the school district was better represented on the school board, a discussion about splitting the school district would not be happening as it currently is.
He suggests that cumulative voting and single-member districts offer a remedy to violations of the Voting Rights Act, for Keller ISD and other school boards.
"Even casual observers know that at-large voting schemes — in which officials are elected across an entity rather than to represent specific districts — typically result in power being consolidated in the 'majority' of voters to the exclusion of even sizable minorities in communities," Brewer writes.
He suggests that cumulative voting offers a more equitable solution and writes that "if a school board election is for three seats, a voter could cast all three votes for a single candidate. This enables smaller but cohesive voting blocs to secure representation, ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making."
Brewer concludes that, "[Keller ISD] Trustees should shelve their plans to dismantle the district and adopt a voting system that enables participation of those whose views will better reflect the students the district is failing."
Read the op-ed here.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram Reports on Brewer Storefront Letter to Keller ISD Board
January 30, 2025 — The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Brewer Storefront sent a letter to Keller Independent School District school board President Charles Randklev and trustees advising that the school district's at-large electoral system and off-cycle election schedule violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The letter also charted a "path forward" for the school district to avoid a lawsuit. The article noted that the letter outlined Brewer's suggestions for rectifying voter suppression tactics.
The requests included abandoning plans to split the district in half, pursuing a more inclusive voting system for the school district such as a cumulative system, moving elections to November, and fully informing voters in English and Spanish about election dates, candidates and procedures.
Read more here.
Star-Telegram Reports on Keller ISD, Potential Brewer Storefront Legal Challenge
January 24, 2025 – The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports today on emerging legal issues within the Keller Independent School District. The reporting chronicles the work of the Brewer Storefront, the legal community service affiliate of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, and notes the Storefront’s many successful cases under the Voting Rights Act.
As reported, “At issue is the district’s [Keller ISD] at-large places in which voters select candidates from across the district to fill open school board seats. Some experts believe at-large elections unfairly favor majority voting blocs and therefore violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was established to ensure all registered voters have an equal voice.”
The alternative would be a single-member system in which voters elect representatives from subdistricts within the larger district. Over the past several years, legal challenges based on interpretations of the Voting Rights Act have pushed at least five North Texas school districts to change their electoral systems, says the article.
William Brewer, founding partner of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, said several Keller school district residents had reached out to his firm about challenging the election rules. Those inquiries were in response to a recent proposal to split the district in half, using Denton Highway as the dividing line. The plan was met with overwhelming opposition from parents at a Jan. 16 board meeting. The next public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30.
Brewer’s firm has successfully initiated the move away from at-large voting in the Lewisville, Richardson, Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Irving and Grand Prairie school districts. He said he plans to file the lawsuit within 45 to 60 days.
“The law says in order to force a change, you need to establish preconditions,” Brewer said. “You have to show that voting is polarized — that whites are voting for whites, Hispanics prefer voting for Hispanics and Blacks are voting for Blacks. Then you have to be able to draw districts around subgroups that are contiguous and compact. Those preconditions seem to be present in Keller.”
Read more here.
Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors Announces Promotion of Litigator Claiborne Hane to Partner
January 23, 2025 – Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors today announced the promotion of litigator Claiborne Hane to partner.
Hane’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and dispute resolution, with an emphasis in business disputes, corporate investigations, and securities fraud litigation. He joined the firm’s New York office as counsel in May 2024. Since joining the firm, Hane has played an instrumental role in several leading matters – including the successful pursuit of shareholder actions.
Prior to joining the firm, Hane practiced with Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP, and Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP. He received his Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Duke University.
“Our firm is defined by the contributions of its professionals and their passion for high-stakes advocacy,” said William A. Brewer III, founding partner of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. “This promotion reflects Clay’s extraordinary contributions and results achieved. It also speaks to our commitment to having one of the fastest partnership tracks in the country.”
Today’s announcement highlights another successful year for the Brewer firm, as we successfully concluded our multi-year defense of a major client against multiple attempts by the New York Attorney General to “eliminate” that client. For that same client, we achieved a unanimous 9-0 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which vacated a ruling by the Second Circuit that dismissed First Amendment claims against a public official who conspired with others to financially destroy our client. Our high-stakes advocacy nationwide also resulted in over $200 million in awards and settlements for our other commercial clients.
This past year marked the continued growth of the Brewer Storefront, the firm’s community-impact legal affiliate. The Storefront successfully defended the victim of an elaborate financial scam, blew the whistle on widespread consumer fraud in New York, and initiated a comprehensive statewide effort to ensure that Texas school boards operate in compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
“The firm provides a platform to make a difference in the courtroom – and the community,” said Hane. “This place is testament to what happens when you combine entrepreneurial spirit with a desire to exclusively handle bet-the-business cases. I’m excited to be part of the Brewer vision and the firm’s blueprint for the future.”
San Antonio Express-News Reports on Local High School Advancing into the Top 32 Round of the IPPF
January 10, 2025 — The San Antonio Express-News today reported that a team of students from Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, Texas, have advanced into the Top 32 round of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) — a high school debate contest sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University.
By advancing, the team remains eligible to win a $10,000 grand prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City this May.
The report notes that the contest began in October, when 283 teams submitted qualifying round essays on the topic, "Resolved: Equitable access to pharmaceuticals should be prioritized over intellectual property rights."
"We commend all the advancing teams for their achievement on this global stage," said William A. Brewer III, chairman of the Brewer Foundation and founder of the IPPF. "This is among the most complex and pressing issues on which our students have ever debated. As advocates, our law firm started this competition with a vision to promote what we see here — an extraordinary level of academic research, scholarship, and discourse."
The publication reports that the Brewer Foundation created the IPPF in 2001 to "inspire students to think critically and develop skills to make a broader impact. The competition went global in 2009 and today attracts thousands of high school debaters worldwide."
To read the full report, click here (subscription required).