NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has given the green light to a lawsuit challenging how the New York Police Department carries out its stop-and-frisk policies aimed at reducing crime.

Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan is letting proceed a lawsuit that challenges the city’s policies as biased, particularly toward blacks and Hispanics.

The judge said the allegations in the lawsuit were supported well enough to justify a trial to decide if New York’s stop-and-frisk policies are legal.

She said the trial can determine whether quotas prompted officers to stop suspects without just cause. She said the trial can also decide whether police leadership has failed to adequately train officers.

The city law office said it is reviewing the decision.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.