Legal experts say a fight over a Black teen's dreadlocks shows how the law still enables racism

A federal judge tossed a majority of the claims in a Black Texas high school student's lawsuit against his school district.

Darryl George , 18 , was accused of racial and gender discrimination for refusing to change his hairstyle.

A state judge earlier this year found his district's hair-length policy did not violate a new state law that aimed to prohibit race-based hair discrimination.

Experts say the ruling is consistent with a controversial Supreme Court doctrine of "colorblindness" The remaining sex discrimination allegation has the potential to have major reverberations.

Darryl George's lawsuit against Barbers Hill High School in Houston , Texas , was dismissed by a federal judge.

The teen was punished for refusing to cut his hair in accordance with the school's hair-length policy because he didn't comply with the policy.

The suit also claimed George's First Amendment rights to free speech and expression were violated.

The school district says the ruling "validates what our district has maintained".

The trial will offer the school district the opportunity to defend its policies.

Brown: "times are changing and increasingly courts are scrutinizing such gender-specific policies more closely" The federal judge questions the utility of the district's policy and whether it was more harmful than helpful.