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Federal courthouse in Huntsville. (Eric Schultz / eschultz@al.com)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Huntsville school board late Friday urged the judge to ignore all of the community comments offered inside the federal courthouse.

Ignore Mayor Tommy Battle. Ignore former Superintendent Mary Jane Caylor. Ignore state school board member Mary Scott Hunter.

They were among the many supporters of the board.

But the board's motion, filed late Friday, also urges the judge to ignore Councilman Richard Showers, ignore Pastor T.C. Johnson and ignore Dr. Oscar Montgomery. They were among the many critics.

In an unusual move, the judge on Friday allowed the audience to address the court. Every black resident argued against Huntsville's plan to rezone the city schools. Nearly every white resident argued for it.

"I was disappointed that when I attend the board meetings, I was disrespected by this administration," Showers, first to speak, told the judge on Friday. "There was an arrogancy."

The motion filed at 7 p.m. on Friday says it "would be error to give any weight to these non-party statements."

Huntsville in February asked the court for approval of it's rezoning plan. The U.S. Department of Justice, plaintiff in an active 1963 lawsuit ending segregated schooling in Huntsville, opposes the plan.

Federal attorneys for two days last week contended the city plan would place students, in particular those from Butler High, in more segregated educational environments. Huntsville argued the federal plan is impractical, creating long bus rides and overcrowded elementary schools.

Huntsville's latest motion argues the community members who spoke at the end of the hearing were not subject to cross examination, did not speak under oath, and may have offered inadmissible opinions and hearsay.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala in April denied a similar motion, when Huntsville attempted to prevent the court from adding community letters to the court file.

She wrote on April 10 of the community letters: "By placing this correspondence in the record, the Court expresses no views as to the weight, if any, that the Court may assign to these materials."

She has yet to rule on the current motion, which once again challenges the letters along with all statements made by community members during the last day of the hearing on May 23.