BATON ROUGE - A federal judge in Baton Rouge ruled Wednesday against Governor Bobby Jindal's attempts to block Common Core, saying it is not a curriculum and does not interfere with a state's right to handle education.

Jindal filed the lawsuit last year in the run-up to his presidential campaign, and after failed attempts to remove Common Core from state classrooms entirely through executive orders.

Judge Shelly Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana said in her ruling the federal government did not create Common Core or endorse it, writing that "The evidence supports the finding that participation in both programs is completely voluntary and not unconstitutionally coercive."

Jindal argued that financial incentives offered by the U. S. Department of Education for states who adopted the Common Core initiative went too far, and violated states' rights in the 10th Amendment. He joined surging nationwide conservative opposition to the initiative when he announced plans to remove it from the state, which later led to state education officials agreeing to review Common Core's implementation in Louisiana.

Jindal is preparing to participate in one of two Republican presidential debates Wednesday. Jimmy Faircloth, Jindal's former general counsel and the attorney who filed the lawsuit on his behalf, said they plan to appeal.