Politics

Court Strikes Down Ban on 'Gay' Marriage

Court Strikes Down Ban on 'Gay' Marriage
BOSTON - Massachusetts' highest court ruled Tuesday that same-sex couples are legally entitled to wed under the state constitution, but stopped short of allowing marriage licenses to be issued to the couples who challenged the law. The Supreme Judicial Court's 4-3 ruling ordered the Legislature to come up with a solution within 180 days. The ruling closely matches the 1999 Vermont Supreme Court decision, which led to its Legislature's approval in 2000 of civil unions that give couples many of the same benefits of marriage.

Litmus Test For Presidential Power
A panel of federal judges waded into the question of whether the president has the power alone to declare a U.S. citizen an enemy combatant, an issue the Bush administration considers vital in its war on terror. Three judges from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals suggested Monday that President Bush needs Congressional authorization to indefinitely hold 33-year-old Jose Padilla, accused in a dirty bomb plot and designated an enemy combatant.

Taliban Says It Killed UN Woman
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan -- Taliban guerrillas claimed responsibility Tuesday for the weekend killing of a French aid worker that has prompted the U.N. refugee agency to withdraw staff from the south and east of Afghanistan. The attack Sunday that killed 29-year-old U.N. refugee agency official Bettina Goislard raised pressure on the international community to send peacekeeping troops to provinces where resurgent Islamic militants and warlords hold sway.

U.S. and Europe at odds over Iran
VIENNA -- Europe and the United States are at odds over how to deal with Iran's nuclear programme, as Israel's intelligence chief says it poses a threat to the very survival of the Jewish state. The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in Brussels that Iran had been honest so far over its nuclear programme and he hoped it would not be reported to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

Muhammad Seeks to Avoid Death Sentence
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Was John Allen Muhammad a man who tenderly looked after his children while they lived in a shelter, or a callous killer who deserves to die for masterminding the Washington-area sniper shootings? Those are the two sides of Muhammad that lawyers on opposing sides are presenting during the sentencing phase of his trial as prosecutors try to win a death sentence and defense lawyers strive to avoid one.

Text of Schwarzenegger's Address
The following is the text of Arnold Schwarzennger's speech after he took the oath of office on the steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento.

Childbearing Age Ex-Soldierette Who Refused Anthrax
Vaccine Asks Appeals Court To Revive Lawsuit
DENVER -- The Army violated a soldier's constitutional rights when it discharged her for refusing to take the anthrax vaccine, her lawyer told an appeals court on Monday. Jemekia Barber accepted an administrative discharge rather than face court-martial in May 1999, but her military-appointed lawyer failed to tell her of some critical options for her defense. Because her military lawyer didn't tell her all her options, she should be allowed to pursue her federal lawsuit arguing that mandatory anthrax vaccinations for soldiers heading into danger zones are unconstitutional for women of childbearing age.

Posted by Editor at November 18, 2003 10:59 AM