The five remaining Jena Six defendants are expected to plead guilty to reduced charges today. No information on the specifics of the plea deal has been released.

The Jena Six were students at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana, in 2006 when they were accused of beating a white youth. The incident followed months of racial conflict at the school.

The Six were charged with attempted murder in the wake of the beating, a far more serious charge than any white student involved in similar recent assaults. Wikipedia has a detailed discussion of the ensuing controversy here.

One member of the Jena Six pled guilty to battery in late 2007.