Family of Martin Luther King can sell his famous traveling Bible, rules judge

Kevin Gould holds a Bible at a Martin Luther King Day event in New Orleans, Louisiana.Reuters

Martin Luther King's treasured traveling Bible could now be sold to a private buyer after a US judge ruled it belongs to his estate.

The estate is controlled by his two sons, who want to sell the Bible and possibly also his Nobel Peace Prize.

King's daughter is fighting the sale plans.

The Bible became famous even before the days of social media, as it was carried everywhere by King in the 1960s as he led the civil rights movement. The recent police killings in Dallas and the complaints of mistreatment by police have brought these issues to the fore again, half a century later.

There will be a further decision on the Peace Prize and the certificate next month.

The ruling was by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney. 

King's three surviving children are directors of their late father's estate.

Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King have voted 2-1 against Bernice King to sell the the Bible and Nobel prize to a private buyer. Ms King believes it is "unthinkable" to sell them.

Former President Jimmy Carter has been working as a mediator in the siblings' dispute.

After the latest ruling, Berenice King said: "While I love my brothers dearly, this latest decision by them is extremely troubling. Our Father MUST be turning in his grave."