A judge has tossed out a request by activists for an independent probe of a prosecutor's handling of grand jury proceedings in the Ferguson police shooting of Michael Brown.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Joseph Walsh III wrote in a 10-page ruling late last week that he reached what he called "the inescapable conclusion" that St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch "faithfully performed his duty" in connection with the grand jury.
The lawsuit by four activists had pressed for a special prosecutor to review McCulloch's handling of the process.
A grand jury last November declined to indict white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Brown, who was black and unarmed.
An attorney for the activists says an appeal of Walsh's ruling is planned.
