Judge declines to rule on MLK Bible, trial possible

The long-running dispute over Rev. Martin Luther King’s traveling Bible and Nobel Peace Prize moved closer to trial Thursday.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said he will begin ruling on motions in the dispute between the children of the civil rights icon. He noted that he had withheld any action on the motions during a lengthy attempt at mediation, but that it is time for the case to move forward. Unless the parties reach a settlement, the matter could come to trial as early as Aug. 15.

King’s two sons, Dexter Scott King and Martin Luther King III, who control the King estate, had asked the court to order their sister to surrender the items in January 2014. They want to sell them to a private buyer.

But Bernice King has opposed any sale, arguing that the two artifacts are sacred and should remain with the family.

In October of last year, former President Jimmy Carter agreed to serve as the siblings’ mediator in the court battle.

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Craig Schneider

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