A judge has ordered Chicago school board members to stay away from Chicago Public Schools' ongoing contract talks with the Chicago Teachers Union, after CPS chief executive officer Pedro Martinez accused the mayor's hand-picked board members of "hijacking" negotiations.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handpicked school board was blocked from modifying Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez’s duties by a Cook County Judge on Tuesday, giving the embattled schools chief a victory as he battles with City Hall over the district’s future.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s hand-picked school board voted Friday to fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, taking a step their predecessors had resisted and capping a months-long campaign by the mayor and teachers union to oust the schools chief.