Texas town’s rental ban gets second hearing

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Dallas suburb has asked a federal appeals court to uphold an ordinance that would ban illegal immigrants from renting homes in the town.

The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans agreed to rehear the case Wednesday after a three-judge panel from the court ruled in March that Farmers Branch’s ordinance is unconstitutional and impermissibly interferes with the federal immigration system.

The court’s 15 judges didn’t immediately rule after hearing arguments from attorneys for the town and a group of landlords and tenants who sued to block the ordinance’s enforcement.

Both sides argued that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Arizona’s tough immigration law supports their positions.