Lawsuit: Transit funding violates civil rights

A lawsuit filed by two Chicagoans claims Illinois' method for funding mass transit discriminates against blacks and Hispanics.

The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges the state of Illinois, Metra and other agencies violated civil rights laws.

Dorothy McGhee and Manuel Munguia claim in the lawsuit that Illinois' funding structure has unfairly favored the Metra commuter rail system at the expense of the Chicago Transit Authority.

Their attorneys are seeking class-action status. They say Metra ridership is mostly white, while CTA riders are mostly minorities. McGhee is black, and Munguia is Mexican-American.

Messages seeking comment from Metra and the state attorney general's office weren't immediately returned.