Argument

The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would hear arguments over three days in late March to decide the constitutionality of President Obama's healthcare law, another sign the justices see the case as a once-in-a-generation test of the federal government's regulatory power. The 51/2 hours of argument are believed to be the most time devoted to a single case since the 1960s. In the 19th century, the justices often sat silently and listened to arguments over several days in one case.

An 86-year-old Italian woman plunged three floors after her live-in partner lost his temper in an argument and threw her out the window, police said Saturday. Elena Buti was said to be in serious condition after landing on a parked car in the road below. "She'd really got on my nerves," Giuseppe Denaro, 62, told investigators. "I couldn't stand her any more."

A man was shot and killed Saturday morning in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, authorities said. The shooting occurred about 3 a.m. in the 10500 block of South Firmona Avenue in Lennox, said Deputy Bill Brauberger of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The victim was standing outside a building when he became involved in an argument with the driver of a light-colored vehicle. During the argument, the driver pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the man, hitting him in the chest, Brauberger said.

A man trying to mediate an argument among a group of women Sunday night was shot and killed, police said. Corey Johnson, 20, was standing on the southwest corner of Parthenia Street at Willis Avenue at about 10:45 p.m. when the incident began, said Los Angeles police spokesman Jason Lee. Johnson was apparently attempting to quash the situation when the suspect intervened and shot him several times, police said. The suspect and three women then fled the scene, Lee said.

An argument between friends turned deadly Friday evening, when a young man shot a visitor in a Santa Ana apartment complex, police said. Reyes Hernandez, 23, was shot multiple times just before 6 p.m. and died. Daniel Alvarez, 19, was arrested on suspicion of murder Friday evening after a brief search by authorities. Hernandez had been visiting Alvarez at his apartment in the 600 block of South Fairview Street, Santa Ana police said.

An Anaheim man was booked early Thursday on suspicion of fatally shooting his girlfriend after an argument, police said. Mark R. Stephan, 33, is accused of shooting to death Melodie Ann Jones, 36, shortly before midnight Wednesday at his father's house in the 1400 block of East Pinewood Avenue, Police Lt. Ray Welch said. Homicide investigators, responding to a 911 call, found the woman on a bed in a rear bedroom with a gunshot wound to her head.

A man who jumped on top of his girlfriend's sports car during an argument was taken on a high-speed freeway spin clinging to the roof, authorities said Saturday. Deputies who stopped the speeding Datsun 280Z on the Antelope Valley Freeway on Friday night arrested the driver, Ruth Gardner, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Sgt. Ron Sulpizio said. Gardner, 18, of Little Rock, remained in jail Saturday on $2,000 bail and several outstanding warrants, pending further investigation.

Two 25-year-old men shot each other to death during an argument in Mt. Washington Sunday night, Los Angeles police said. Shawn Anthony Rubio of Highland Park died a few feet from where he was shot, a block north of Avenue 50. Eric Goytia of Huntington Park died after surgery at Huntington Memorial Hospital, Lt. Richard LeGarra said. Both men suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses told police that the two men exchanged hostile and challenging words about 8 p.m.

A post-midnight argument by four men at a Vietnamese club in Garden Grove escalated to shooting that left two people slightly injured Wednesday, a police spokesman said. Sgt. Ron Fleischer said the four men began the argument inside the Saigon Cabaret at 9856 Westminster Ave. at 1:53 a.m. The four then went outside and continued the disturbance, at which time one of the men pulled a gun and fired four to six shots into the front door of the club.

An argument between two neighbors that started over a parking space resulted in the fatal shooting of one and the arrest of the other early Sunday morning, police said. Police said Silvestre Trujillo, 23, was shot twice at close range after arguing with a man they identified as Guadalupe Soto Salgado, 28, in front of their residence at 3635 W. Camille St. Lt. Robert Helton said Trujillo was rushed to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital at 1:40 a.m. and died there several hours later.