Facing threats of a legal battle from the city’s rank-and-file police union, aldermen again deferred a decision Wednesday over the future of serious discipline for officers accused of wrongdoing.

       A parliamentary maneuver to “defer and publish” a vote on the matter was made by allies of Mayor Brandon Johnson, marking the latest chapter in a contentious dispute over arbitrator Edwin Benn’s decision last year. Benn’s ruling granted members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 the ability to have the most serious disciplinary cases heard privately by a third party, rather than in public through the Police Board process.

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       It was unclear heading into Wednesday’s vote whether Johnson and his aldermanic allies would hold onto their slim margin in favor of denying the clause in the FOP contract supporting Benn’s decision. An earlier City Council vote required 30 votes to pass. It garnered 33. But threats from the FOP over the cost of battling out the decision in court has led to some aldermen wavering in their support.