Mobile judge: Delay class-action decision in race suit
MOBILE — A federal magistrate judge in Mobile will recommend delaying a decision on whether to turn a discrimination case against Monroe County schools into a class-action suit.
The parents of nine students at Monroeville Junior High School accuse administrators of meting out disparate discipline, making classroom assignments based on race and retaliating against parents who complain.
Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union have asked that the plaintiffs be allowed to represent all black students who attended the school within the last three years.
But U.S. Magistrate Judge Sonja Bivins said Thursday she doesn't have enough information to decide the issue.
She said she would recommend that Chief U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade postpone a final ruling until the two sides can exchange more information.
