The State Supreme Court ruled against a lawsuit Thursday that would have prevented the Department of Education from closing 22 failing city schools and co-locating 15 public schools in DOE buildings.

The injunction to stop the plan was filed last month by the United Federation of Teachers and the NAACP, but Justice Paul Feinman denied the request Thursday night, saying that there was no evidence the failing schools could be "so easily turned around."

The lawsuit set off a bitter public battle between charter school supporters and the NAACP, with several rallies in Harlem and elsewhere.

A UFT spokesman said the teacher's union will continue its litigation, as the union does not feel the judge's decision addressed "underlying issues of fairness and due process" behind the co-locations and closings.

The NAACP said it is reviewing the decision.

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said in a statement, “I am incredibly heartened by the Court’s decision tonight. From the beginning of the Bloomberg Administration, we have said that a primary focus of our reform efforts would be to phase out schools that have failed our children year after year, and offer families new, high-quality options.... I know this decision will come as great comfort and relief to the thousands of children who have been in limbo, wondering what the outcome of this case would be, and for that I am very happy."

Eva Moskowitz, the founder and CEO of the Success Charter Network, said in a statement, "Today’s ruling is a huge relief for many of our staff and the families we serve. We’ve said all along that this lawsuit lacked merit and only served one purpose — to block thousands of children from having access to better schools and a brighter future."

Had the co-locations been blocked, the charter schools' students would have needed to be assigned to other schools before September.