Black judge drops suit stemming from racially charged feud

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A black judge embroiled in a racially charged feud with a white prosecutor is withdrawing a federal lawsuit against the commission investigating him on judicial misconduct charges.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Olu Stevens filed the lawsuit this spring in U.S. District Court in Louisville, alleging that the Judicial Conduct Commission was trying to silence him from speaking out "on topics of vital public concern." The commission announced in April it was charging Stevens with several counts of misconduct, mostly stemming from social media posts and other statements criticizing a prosecutor and others on the topic of jury diversity.

News media reported that one of Stevens' lawyers, Ian A. Mance of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, asked Thursday for the federal suit to be dismissed.

A hearing is scheduled Monday on the misconduct charges.