Voting Rights Lawsuits Against Lowell Gains Traction

On October 17, 2017, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts denied the City of Lowell’s attempt to dismiss a high-profile voting rights lawsuit filed by Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice. Together with pro bono counsel from Ropes & Gray LLP, we represent 13 Asian-American and Latino residents in the lawsuit, Huot v. City of Lowell. We contend that Lowell’s current at-large system illegally dilutes the vote of communities of color in Lowell and has resulted in virtually all-White representation on both the City Council and School Committee for years.

The federal court’s decision in favor of the minority voters — and against the City of Lowell — was featured in VOA News and the Lowell Sun. In a powerful editorial, the Boston Globe has called for Lowell to dismantle the “majority rule” system.

To learn more about the urgent need for minority representation in Lowell, check out this compelling feature in the Boston Globe.