In other news: Student’s suspension over hairstyle leads to probe and lawsuit; 96-year-old federal judge barred from hearing cases over her mental fitness

Published 12:00 am Friday, September 22, 2023

Debate over a Black student’s suspension over his hairstyle in Texas ramps up with probe and lawsuit

The debate over whether a Black high school student in Texas should be serving in-school suspension for wearing twisted dreadlocks to class has intensified as the student’s family and his school district both took legal action. Darryl George has been serving an in-school suspension since Aug. 31 at his Houston-area school. School officials say George’s dreadlocks violate the district’s dress code regarding hair length for boys. On Wednesday, the Texas Education Agency told George’s family it will investigate a complaint they filed. The school district has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to clarify whether its dress code violates the CROWN Act, a new state law outlawing racial discrimination based on hairstyles.

A 96-year-old federal judge is barred from hearing cases in a bitter fight over her mental fitness

A 96-year-old U.S. federal appeals court judge has been barred from hearing cases for a year after a judicial panel said she refused to undergo medical testing over concerns she’s no longer mentally fit to serve on the bench. Wednesday’s development is the latest in an unusually public and bitter fight over whether Judge Pauline Newman should continue to serve on the Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The matter has sparked a lawsuit and turned judges against one another. Newman insists that she remains physically and mentally fit to decide matters of the law, and has accused her colleagues of making baseless claims in an effort to push her out because of her age.

First Bob Ross TV painting, completed in a half an hour, goes on sale for nearly $10 million

Bob Ross was known for his unpretentious approach to painting on his long-running show, “The Joy of Painting,” but now the painting he completed on his first episode in 1983 is for sale for nearly $10 million. Minneapolis gallery owner Ryan Nelson calls the painting, “A Walk in the Woods,” the “rookie card” for Ross. Nelson bought the painting last year and then priced it at $9.85 million. Ross’ paintings are hard to get and are expensive, but none has sold for nearly that much. Nelson says he’s in no hurry to sell and would like to display the painting so that lots of people get to see Ross’ work and understand his efforts to encourage regular people to paint.