The House of Representatives easily approved a compromise bill setting new electronic surveillance rules that in effect shield telecommunications companies from lawsuits arising from the government's post-Sept. 11 warrantless eavesdropping on phone and computer lines in this country.
The bill, which was passed on a 293-129 vote, does more than just protect the telecoms. The update to the 30-year-old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is an attempt to balance privacy rights with the government's assertion that some wiretapping is necessary to protect the country against terrorist attacks in an era of fast-changing technologies.
President Bush praised the bill, saying, "It will help our intelligence professionals learn enemies' plans for new attacks."
The House's passage of the FISA Amendment bill marks the beginning of the end to a months-long standoff between Democrats and Republicans about the rules for government wiretapping in the United States. The Senate was expected to pass the bill by a large margin, perhaps as soon as next week.
NEVADA
Judge thwarts Simpson's lawyers
O.J. Simpson's lawyers lost a bid to question prospective jurors in his armed-robbery trial about what they know and think about the former football star.
Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass also rejected the lawyers' attempt to use a long pretrial questionnaire to gauge how those in the jury pool might respond to defense strategies.
Simpson, Charles Ehrlich and Clarence "C.J." Stewart face kidnapping and other charges related to the alleged robbery of sports memorabilia from dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room in September.
Defense lawyers are concerned about seating an impartial jury because of Simpson's celebrity -- as an NFL Hall of Famer and the acquitted defendant in the Los Angeles slaying of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
KANSAS
Court rules on juveniles' rights
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that juveniles have a constitutional right to a jury trial, a surprise decision that could influence courts in other states and force local prosecutors to retry hundreds of open cases.
In a 6-1 decision, the court based its ruling partly on a provision of the Kansas Constitution that states defendants "in all prosecutions" are guaranteed a speedy jury trial.
Courts generally have said for several decades that states aren't required to have jury trials for juveniles as they are for adult defendants. Juveniles are often tried before a judge.
From Times Wire Reports
