GOP Lawmakers Ask Brown Not To Appeal Tenure Ruling

(AP) - Republican lawmakers are asking Gov. Jerry Brown not to appeal a Los Angeles judge's decision striking down tenure and other job protections for California teachers.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff sent Brown a letter Thursday, a day before the Democratic governor is scheduled to address a national teachers union convention in Los Angeles.

Huff urges Brown to resist pressure from teachers unions and consider the civil rights of disadvantaged students. Huff writes that "an appeal would further disenfranchise inner-city students and those who come from challenging socio-economic circumstances."

Last month, a judge found that a handful of laws governing the hiring and firing of the state's teachers are unconstitutional because they deprive children of a quality education.

Brown, one of the main defendants, has not said whether he will appeal.