Maine Courts

Maine's highest court Tuesday struck down a 20-year-old ban on guns in public housing projects. Sidestepping the constitutional issue of the right to bear arms, the Supreme Judicial Court instead ruled, 6 to 0, that the Portland Housing Authority has no authority under state law to regulate possession of guns. The case has been watched closely around the country. The Chicago Housing Authority, for instance, has prohibited firearms for more than 20 years. The National Rifle Assn.

With only nine votes separating Democrats from Republicans in the struggle for control of the state Senate, Maine's outgoing independent governor is asking the state's highest court for advice. Gov. Angus King asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Friday for guidance about what his options and obligations are in certifying a winner. But time is short: King faces a Tuesday deadline for summoning the new Legislature to convene early next month.

The Maine Supreme Court on Tuesday eased the state's prohibition on television coverage in courtrooms but said cameras would still be barred from recording witnesses in criminal trials.

The losers, of course, weren't happy. The winners, at least three of them, did not leave Roland Garros satisfied either, and the Women's Tennis Assn. shared their perception about a lack of respect. The top three women's players, defending champion Jennifer Capriati and Venus and Serena Williams, were unhappy Tuesday about having to play their French Open quarterfinal matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the secondary court, instead of on Philippe Chatrier, the main court.

With only nine votes separating Democrats from Republicans in the struggle for control of the state Senate, Maine's outgoing independent governor is asking the state's highest court for advice. Gov. Angus King asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Friday for guidance about what his options and obligations are in certifying a winner. But time is short: King faces a Tuesday deadline for summoning the new Legislature to convene early next month.

A mother can refuse to give her HIV-infected son powerful AIDS drugs that she believes could kill him rather than help him, the state Supreme Court decided Thursday. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld a judge's ruling that Valerie Emerson's refusal to treat her son with a three-drug cocktail does not amount to child abuse or neglect. But it left the door open for a change if the 4-year-old boy's condition worsens or new medical treatments are developed.

Valerie Emerson had been ready to disappear for days by the time the judge reached his decision. The car had a full tank of gas. The trunk was crammed with clothes. A road map was marked with safe houses throughout the country where she and her three boys could seek refuge. She had already said goodbye to friends. That's how certain Emerson was that she would lose custody of her son Nikolas--because of her refusal to treat the boy with powerful AIDS drugs. She never wavered.

The losers, of course, weren't happy. The winners, at least three of them, did not leave Roland Garros satisfied either, and the Women's Tennis Assn. shared their perception about a lack of respect. The top three women's players, defending champion Jennifer Capriati and Venus and Serena Williams, were unhappy Tuesday about having to play their French Open quarterfinal matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the secondary court, instead of on Philippe Chatrier, the main court.

Valerie Emerson had been ready to disappear for days by the time the judge reached his decision. The car had a full tank of gas. The trunk was crammed with clothes. A road map was marked with safe houses throughout the country where she and her three boys could seek refuge. She had already said goodbye to friends. That's how certain Emerson was that she would lose custody of her son Nikolas--because of her refusal to treat the boy with powerful AIDS drugs. She never wavered.

A mother can refuse to give her HIV-infected son powerful AIDS drugs that she believes could kill him rather than help him, the state Supreme Court decided Thursday. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld a judge's ruling that Valerie Emerson's refusal to treat her son with a three-drug cocktail does not amount to child abuse or neglect. But it left the door open for a change if the 4-year-old boy's condition worsens or new medical treatments are developed.

Maine's highest court Tuesday struck down a 20-year-old ban on guns in public housing projects. Sidestepping the constitutional issue of the right to bear arms, the Supreme Judicial Court instead ruled, 6 to 0, that the Portland Housing Authority has no authority under state law to regulate possession of guns. The case has been watched closely around the country. The Chicago Housing Authority, for instance, has prohibited firearms for more than 20 years. The National Rifle Assn.

The Maine Supreme Court on Tuesday eased the state's prohibition on television coverage in courtrooms but said cameras would still be barred from recording witnesses in criminal trials.