Feds Seek More Time For Documents In Voucher Case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is asking for extra time to produce documents in a case involving the state's private school tuition program. Gov. Bobby Jindal says the request is an example of Obama administration incompetence.

Justice attorneys say the recent partial shutdown of the federal government has contributed to a delay in compiling the documents. They asked for a new Dec. 16 deadline.

The documents relate to the question of whether the voucher program affects racial balances in school districts that are under desegregation orders.

Among the documents the state seeks are copies of numerous past desegregation orders. Justice lawyers argue that the documents won't be needed for a Nov. 22 hearing on the legal question involving whether a desegregation order in a 1975 case applies to the voucher program.