( CNN ) -- Attorneys for New York City asked a federal appeals court Saturday to void the order issued in August that required the New York Police Department to change its stop-and-frisk policy . The city 's request was made to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan . It asked the appeals court to vacate U.S District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin 's rulings because they `` continue unfairly and improperly to cloud the public 's perception '' of the New York Police Department . A three-judge panel of the appeals court removed Scheindlin from the case in October because she appeared to be biased , jeopardizing `` the appearance of partiality ... by a series of media interviews and public statements purporting to respond publicly to criticism of the District Court . '' The appeals court cited three interviews with the New York Law Journal , The Associated Press and The New Yorker in which Scheindlin spoke about her personal beliefs on the issue and defended her decision . In August , Scheindlin ordered that the stop-and-frisk policy be altered , finding that it is unconstitutional in part because it unlawfully targets blacks and Latinos . City officials had bristled at the contention that police racially profile suspects and appealed the ruling . Scheindlin ruled that the policy violated the plaintiffs ' Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches , finding that police made at least 200,000 stops from 2004 to June 2012 without reasonable suspicion . She also found evidence of racial profiling , which violated the plaintiffs ' 14th Amendment rights guaranteeing equal protection . The lower court ruling to change stop-and-frisk is on hold while the city 's appeal proceeds . Scheindlin is challenging her removal from the litigation . Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio opposes stop-and-frisk and has said publicly that he would drop the city 's appeal of Scheindlin 's ruling . The stop-and-frisk policy -- in which police stop , question and frisk people they deem suspicious , even if they 've committed no crime -- has been one of the most controversial policing techniques in recent times . Civil rights and civil liberties groups challenge the practice as racist and illegal . Outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg , law enforcement and other proponents say the policy reduces crime . CNN 's Chris Boyette , Michael Martinez and Elizabeth Landers contributed to this report .
New York City asks appeals court to drop ruling requiring changes to stop-and-frisk . U.S District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin issued ruling , said policy unfairly targeted minorities . She was removed from the case in October because of bias , appeals panel said . Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has said he would drop the city 's appeal of Scheindlin 's ruling .