The FBI, Justice Department, and the U.S. attorney’s office are discussing possible civil rights violations revolving around a racially charged schoolyard beating. The case involves the assault of a white student, Justin Barker, at Jena High School by six black schoolmates. Mychal Bell, the first of the six students to be tried in court, was convicted of aggravated second-degree battery and faces up to 22 years and six months in prison. The remaining five students have not yet faced trial.

Critics have called the charges outrageous, citing the facts that Barker only received minor injuries and was released from the hospital that same day so he could attend a school ceremony. Civil rights leaders say the black defendants, now known as the “Jena 6,” have received unequal treatment compared to white defendants charged with similar crimes. “Juice in La Salle Parish is not meted out equally," said Tory Pegram, development and public education associate for the Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The attack on Barker was the latest incident in a series of conflicts between white and black students sparked when black students found three hangman's nooses dangling from a tree on school property. Robert Bailey, one of the so-called Jena 6, was assaulted at a local party by white students using bottles and fists. Those who assaulted Bailey were charged with simple battery by the district attorney in La Salle Parish, the district in which Jena lies. Bell’s attorney, Louis Scott, said, “Actions by black students were treated more harshly than actions by white students.”