Judge won't halt school board members' suspension

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge isn't blocking the Georgia governor's removal of two-thirds of a suburban Atlanta school board's members, although legal questions remain.

U.S. District Judge Richard Story issued an order Monday denying the request by the DeKalb County school district and the board chairman for a preliminary injunction. Story also said he plans to refer questions about the law to the Georgia Supreme Court.

The district and board chairman last month filed a lawsuit challenging the law that allowed Republican Gov. Nathan Deal to remove the school board members in the troubled school district, the state's third-largest.

Deal last week signed an order suspending the six board members and has appointed a panel to find replacements. The suspended board members can still petition the governor to reinstate them.