After a three-week hearing, a federal judge is expected to rule soon on whether to block the town of Islip from holding primaries in June.
Latinos sued the town saying their vote was diluted in violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Islip’s town board is elected by the entire town at-large, instead of by districts. On behalf of Latinos, Frederick Brewington argued in court that this allows the white majority to elect every board member.
“They want to turn the clock back in a lot of ways,” he says, “explain away the fact that this Latino community still does not have a candidate of their choice. Every member of the town board does not live in communities such as Central Islip, Brentwood or North Bay Shore.”
The town hired one of the most specialized lawyers known for defending against violations of the Voting Rights Act to argue that the lawsuit wasn’t about race. It was about politics.
The town argued that Latinos should join the Republican majority.
A decision is expected soon because the primary is June 25. Latinos are asking the court to delay Islip primary until September.
