Sanctions Nixed for Counsel in School District Elections Lawsuit

The lawyers who represented a White man who unsuccessfully sued a Texas school district over an allegedly discriminatory election policy saw about $50,000 in sanctions against them reversed by the Fifth Circuit.

Frank Vaughan sued Lewisville Independent School District, saying its at-large election system violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the votes of minorities. The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated a decision by the district court, which held that Vaughan’s lawsuit was frivolous and unreasonable, and that attorneys’ fees were warranted under 52 U.S.C. § 10310(e).

The US District Court for the ...