Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Dear SBISD Families, Staff and Community Members,

There has been a new development in the Voting Rights Act lawsuit filed by Dr. Virginia Elizondo in 2021. As you may know, trial in this case was set for late 2023. However, trial was postponed because of a decision by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals holding that private citizens, like Dr. Elizondo, cannot bring these kinds of lawsuits against government entities. Although this ruling by the 8th Circuit is not binding on Texas, the judge in our case decided to abate trial temporarily to consider the impact of the ruling and to provide an opportunity to see if the Supreme Court will provide any guidance on the issue (which it has not yet done).

Since then, the District and Dr. Elizondo have been periodically checking in with the judge to provide status updates. A few weeks ago, Dr. Elizondo's attorneys announced that their expert witness is critically ill, and therefore they would like to hold the trial soon to ensure he has the opportunity to testify. Our judge agreed, and has now set the case for trial beginning on September 9th, 2024, at 1pm. The trial will likely take a whole week. SBISD's attorneys are prepared to defend the District at this trial.

When trial is complete, it will likely take several weeks (or even much more) to receive a ruling from the judge. Additionally, whichever side does not prevail is likely to appeal the case. Therefore, the lawsuit is far from being resolved.

The SBISD Board will continue to keep you informed about important developments in this case.

Lisa Andrews Alpe
President, SBISD Board of Trustees