Norton Rose Fulbright wins for City of Austin in convention center case

A team of Austin -based litigators at Norton Rose Fulbright successfully defended the City of Austin and City Clerk Erika Brady in a lawsuit seeking a writ of mandamus that would have required the clerk to certify an initiative petition submitted by Austin United PAC, despite the fact that the petition did not contain the legally required number of signatures. The final judgment was signed on February 13, 2026.

The petition sought to place an ordinance on the ballot that would have postponed demolition, reconstruction and expansion of the Austin Convention Center. By the time the petition was submitted, however, the convention center already had been completely demolished and construction on the revamped facility was underway.

Following a meticulous review of the petition, the clerk and her team determined it did not contain the required number of valid signatures. Austin United PAC challenged that conclusion, alleging the clerk improperly excluded the signatures of people who lived outside the city limits.

After a two-day bench trial in Travis County District Court before the Honorable Jessica Mangrum, the court ruled in favor of the City of Austin and clerk on all claims. Judge Mangrum concluded the plaintiffs were not entitled to any of the relief sought, and declined to issue a writ of mandamus or a permanent injunction. The court also denied the plaintiffs'Public Information Act claim as moot.

"The judge's ruling affirms the integrity of the city's review process," said Paul Trahan, Norton Rose Fulbright's Austin Partner-in-Charge who led the firm's representation. "We knew when we accepted the challenge to take this case to trial just six weeks after filing that it would be tough, but we were eager to defend the clerk and her team's fine work. We also had grave concerns about the PAC's attempts to put an ordinance on the ballot which assumes the convention center is still standing, which it is not. That would be misleading to voters."

Norton Rose Fulbright's team was led by Paul Trahan and included Emily Wolf and Kayla Ahmed (Austin).