Teamwork Leads to Discharge Upgrade for U. S. Marine Corps Veteran
Historic Win for Hispanic Voters in Voting Rights Case
Barry Abrams, Robert P. Scott, and Domingo Manuel LLagostera secured a landmark victory
in federal court by successfully challenging the at-large voting system used by the Spring Branch Independent School District(“ SBISD”) to elect its school board trustees. The Court ruled that the electoral structure violated the Voting Rights Act by unlawfully diluting Hispanic voting strength. Representing a longtime SBISD resident and educator, the team demonstrated that racially polarized voting and structural barriers consistently prevented Hispanic voters from electing their candidates of choice. The Court found that although Hispanic voters are politically cohesive, a white majority voting bloc routinely defeats Hispanicpreferred candidates. As a result, SBISD was ordered to adopt a new single-member district election plan. The decision represents a significant step toward equitable representation and reinforces federal protections for minority voting rights. The favorable district court ruling is currently on appeal, with SBISD contesting its continued viability due to a later United States Supreme Court decision that altered the standards applicable in a redistricting context.
A Blank Rome team led by Alan R. Feigenbaum successfully helped a U. S. Marine Corps veteran obtain an upgraded discharge status after years of determined advocacy. Working in partnership with the Veterans Consortium, the team presented compelling evidence showing that the actions leading to
the veteran’ s Other Than Honorable Discharge were linked to untreated posttraumatic stress disorder resulting from combat experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Based on this record, the Board of Correction of Naval Records granted an upgrade to General( Under Honorable Circumstances), restoring the veteran’ s dignity and access to critical benefits.
Disability Ruling Helps Child Receive Critical Support
Nicholas R. Spiller successfully secured disability benefits for a 13-year-old child with significant mental health challenges, overturning an initial denial by the Social Security Administration. After the child’ s mother applied for benefits in 2023 and was denied, Nicholas led the appeal, carefully synthesizing medical and school records for the judge, preparing the mother for oral
testimony, and managing the matter from start to finish. The judge ultimately ruled in the child’ s favor, awarding retroactive benefits that will help fund muchneeded tutoring and therapeutic services.
The BRoader Impact- 2026 Annual Report 7