Newark Suit Seeks To Block Threatened Takeover

By Karen Diegmueller

Arguing that a state takeover would undermine minority voting rights, a group of Newark, N.J., residents has filed suit to block the state if it attempts to seize control of the city's troubled school system.

The legal action is based on civil-rights laws rather than the quality of education in Newark, where a majority of residents are members of minority groups.

In the suit, which was filed this month in federal court, the plaintiffs contend that the contemplated state takeover of the school district would violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 14th Amendment...