The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear expedited arguments in the voting rights lawsuit that found Pasadena’s City Council elections restructuring discriminated against Latino voters.
The court will consider Feb. 1 whether to temporarily halt a federal judge’s order that undid the city’s recent election system and called for Federal oversight in upcoming May elections. The ruling that the system violated voting rights will stand regardless. 
The hearing will determine whether Pasadena’s May city council elections proceed using a 2011 map with eight single-member district seats. This format preceded the disputed restructuring of the districts into six single-member and two at-large seats.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal threw out the most recent election system, saying the city deliberately tried to diminish Hispanic voting power by changing the city council system.
The six single-member and two at-large seats system was narrowly approved by voters in 2014. The city must prove that this more recent system is in the best interest of the public for the May elections to proceed using the format.
Mayor Johnny Isbell was accused in the lawsuit of purposefully disenfranchising Hispanic voters with behind-the-scenes dealing and shutting out city council members. The longtime mayor is at term limit and cannot seek re-election.
Source: HoustonChronicle.com, “Pasadena voting rights case gets quick hearing before appeals court,” by Gabrielle Banks and the Houston Chronicle, January 25, 2017.