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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge whose own home was flooded after Hurricane Katrina has rejected pleas to delay the city's April 22 elections, saying he shared residents' "burning desire for completeness."
Civil rights groups had hoped to block what would be the city's first municipal elections since Katrina, arguing that too many black residents won't be able to participate.
"I recognize that there is still room for improvement in that electoral process," U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle said during a hearing Monday. But, he said, "If you are a displaced citizen, like I am, we have a burning desire for completeness."
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