House GOP Chiefs Urge End To La. Voucher Challenge

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department says it's not trying to end Louisiana'sprivate school tuition voucher program — but is trying to make sure the state complies with longstanding school desegregation orders.

The department's statement Tuesday came after U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and other House Republican leaders released a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. The letter is critical of a motion the Justice Department filed last month in a 1971 desegregation case.

The motion seeks to block future vouchers in districts that remain under desegregation orders unless and until they are approved by a federal court.

A hearing on the matter is set for November.