Atlanta
(2008-09-16)
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School systems filed the suit four years ago, feeling that state cuts made it impossible for some children to get an adequate education. But a mere seven weeks from when the trial was set to start, the case was transferred to a new judge. That's because Fulton County has decided, in the face of a state budget shortfall, it will no longer use senior judges.
Joe Martin, head of the consortium, is concerned about the new judge, Craig Schwall:
MARTIN: The judge to whom the case is being transferred is one who has a different political philosophy, and we concluded that it would be better to withdraw the case than to proceed ahead when the outcome is very much in doubt.
The consortium will file the lawsuit in another Georgia jurisdiction. Martin doubts that it will take another four years for the trial to begin, since most of the evidence has already been gathered.
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