FISD wins voting rights lawsuit

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Maddie Owens

Recently, the district has opened applications for the district-wide committees.

Trisha Dasgupta, Editor-in-Chief

A year-long lawsuit against the district was brought to an end after United States District Court Judge Amos L. Mazzant concluded that Frisco ISD’s School Board Member election systems are legal and non-discriminatory.

“Frisco ISD is glad the Court recognized that the District’s at-large election system does not result in discrimination against our minority community members,” President of the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees Chad Rudy said in a FISD news release. “The District’s mission is to know every student by name and need and the at-large system ensures our Board members represent every family in the community.”

FISD parent Suresh Kumar filed the civil lawsuit in April of 2019, alleging that the district’s electoral system violated sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, however, the court found that these claims had no merit.

“Invidious discrimination must be stomped out in this Nation,” Judge Mazzant wrote in his opinion. “No reasonable argument exists that could support a system that permits such evil. Yet simply because someone claims discrimination exists does not make it so. Ours is a Nation premised upon the rule of law where each citizen is entitled to his or her day in court should they choose to bring forward an allegation. But before that allegation becomes true, that same citizen must carry his or her burden. Here, Kumar received his day in court, but he did not carry his burden. The Court consequently concludes that Frisco ISD’s at-large electoral system does not violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”