On April 27, the Ninth Circuit said it will rehear Public Integrity Alliance v City of Tucson, 15-16142. On November 10, 2015, the original 3-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit had voted 2-1 that Tucson’s method violates the U.S. Constitution. The method is to have partisan primaries within each ward, but then in the general election, all the party nominees chosen in the district primaries run citywide. Persons associated with the Republican Party had filed this lawsuit, because the system usually results in wins for all the Democratic nominees in November.

The Ninth Circuit will hear the case en banc. No other circuit grants rehearings as frequently as the Ninth Circuit.

Tucson’s city attorney has probably spent more time defending his city’s method of electing city councilmembers than any other city attorney in the United States. A few years ago he had to fight off a law that the legislature passed, mandating that all cities in Arizona use non-partisan elections for city office. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the news.