BHDA’s Voting Rights Team Pulls an “All-Nighter” for Client’s Success

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(Pictured above from L-R, Attorneys Bob Heath, Gunnar Seaquist, Josh Katz, and Steven Weller snap a quick photo in the hallway at 2:30 a.m.)

The firm recently assisted with an urgent matter for the Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School District. Last week, an individual plaintiff and Starr County persuaded a county court at law judge to issue an ex parte temporary restraining order preventing the District from holding early voting at its three properly noticed early voting polling places. Early voting for the District was set for today, Monday, October 24.

The BHDA team quickly devised a legal strategy to seek emergency and mandamus relief from the San Antonio Court of Appeals, so that the voters within the District could exercise their voting rights. The team pulled an all-nighter, crafting arguments and assembling the evidentiary support needed to convince the Court to reverse the actions taken at the local level.

Thanks to this team effort, the District’s request for emergency and mandamus relief was in the hands of the justices of the San Antonio Court of Appeals in less than a 23 hour turnover.

On Friday, we learned that our request for emergency relief was granted, the county court at law’s temporary restraining order has been stayed pending final resolution of the petition for mandamus, and the District’s early voting will proceed on Monday as planned.