Leadership Roundtable v. City of Little Rock

In this case, black citizens of Little Rock, Arkansas, seek to alter, on constitutional grounds, the method by which city voters select members of the municipal board of directors. At present, Little Rock citizens vote at large for members of the board of directors. Directors serve for staggered four-year terms (three are chosen at one election, and four are- chosen at the subsequent election) but each must declare candidacy for the specific vacancy the candidate seeks to fill. A plurality vote determines the winner of each contest for the several vacancies.

The district court dismissed the…