Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan on Thursday granted a temporary restraining order blocking the proposed sale of the St. Paul Urban League headquarters.
She wrote that, while a four-member board had entered into an agreement last month to sell the building at 401 Selby Av., the Urban League's charter required that the board have at least 21 members to execute contracts.
"This board misses that goal by a country mile," she wrote.
The ruling was a victory for Willie Mae Wilson, the Urban League's former president, and Bill Wilson, her husband and a former City Council president, who argued that losing the building would kill any hopes of reviving the dormant, yet storied organization.
The current board had planned to use proceeds from the sale to again offer employment counseling and other services.
On Tuesday, during a hearing in the case, Marrinan also directed the two sides to resolve issues relating to a temporary lease of the building by President Obama re-election campaign. Jeffry Martin, an attorney representing the Wilsons, said on Thursday that he was in talks with the campaign and that he hoped the building could be leased while questions about the Urban League's direction and its board's future makeup are addressed.
ANTHONY LONETREE
