ATLANTA (AP) - A federal judge has approved class action status for a lawsuit challenging the release policy of a jail in Atlanta.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown this month means others can join the lawsuit challenging the Fulton County jail policy.
A number of people sued, saying they were held more than 24 hours after they should have been released. The lawsuit says Fulton County requires deputies to look up detainees in a state database before they're released. The lawsuit says there is no state or federal requirement for the checks.
The lawsuit says when the database was down several days in 2014, the sheriff's office waited until the system was online before releasing people.
Sheriff Ted Jackson's office wouldn't comment on the lawsuit.