February 17, 2009 – The Dallas Morning News reports that a trial was set to open in federal court in which plaintiff Manuel Benavidez sued the City of Irving, alleging that its at-large voting method for City Council elections effectively denies representation to Hispanics.
Bill Brewer, who represented Benavidez, called the city’s defense claims “silly” and pointed out that they were ignoring data, including expert reports identifying ways to draw majority-Hispanic single-member districts.
“Notice Irving doesn’t defend its case by pretending that the system is fair or it’s time for a change hasn’t come,” Brewer said.
The article noted that Irving’s mayor and eight council members were white, even though white residents only comprised about 35.6 percent of the city’s population, while Hispanic made up about 40.6 percent of the population.