The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Don’t let anyone tell you that this is bad deal for students.This is not a bad deal for

students. If we don’t pass this, students will pay 6.8 percent on their loans.With this bill, they’ll pay 3.86 percent. You tell me which is the better deal.”

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, on a bill passed by the Senate linking federal student loan rates to the financial markets Article, 1A

Detroit bankruptcy cleared to proceed

DETROIT - A federal bankruptcy judge Wednesday cleared the way for Detroit’s bankruptcy case to go forward without legal challenges.

The decision by Judge Steven Rhodes of U.S. Bankruptcy Court freezes all litigation against the city during the bankruptcy process and consolidates state-level legal challenges to Detroit’s Chapter 9 filing into the federal bankruptcy case.

The federal bankruptcy court has “exclusive jurisdiction” over the case, he said, adding, “There is no case law that holds otherwise.”

The judge was attempting to put to rest a legal spat that began almost immediately after Detroit filed for bankruptcy last Thursday, the largest American city ever to do so. On Friday a state judge, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina of Ingham County Circuit Court, ruled that the filing violated the state constitution, which protects the pensions of retired public employees. The city has been expected to seek reductions in pensions in bankruptcy court as part of its broader efforts to reduce Detroit’s estimated $18 billion in debts and other obligations.

GOP objects to nominees for D.C. court

WASHINGTON - Just a week after the Senate hashed out a compromise for approving seven of President Barack Obama’s nominees to run government departments, agencies and boards, Republicans on Wednesday signaled their opposition to Obama’s plan for filling vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony Wednesday from law professor and former senior Justice Department official Cornelia “Nina” Pillard, one of three Obama nominees to the D.C. circuit, often viewed as the second-most-influential court in the country after the Supreme Court.

Iowa’s Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the committee, said Pillard’s nomination wasn’t necessary because the D.C. circuit doesn’t have enough work to justify filling its three vacancies.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said Republican objections are misleading and politically motivated.

Plea deal on table for accused captor

CLEVELAND - Prosecutors and lawyers for a Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for more than a decade signaled Wednesday that they are talking about a possible plea deal.

With a trial less than two weeks away, there was no mention of whether the prosecutor will seek the death penalty. Attorneys for Ariel Castro, 53, say a deal depends on taking the death penalty off the table.

“My understanding is that the parties have discussed possible pleas and that you’re working to see if that would be an effective resolution, is that correct?” Judge Michael Russo asked.

Both sides responded “yes” without elaboration and left the courtroom without commenting.

As in previous court appearances, Castro was dressed in an orange jail outfit and kept his chin tucked to his chest for most of the hearing. He has pleaded innocent.

Senator: Military sex-filings claim bunk

WASHINGTON - The head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who opposes efforts to remove military commanders’ authority over sexual-assault prosecutions, said there’s no evidence in foreign militaries that victims are more likely to report attacks that use independent prosecutors.

Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, released two letters Wednesday from U.S. military officials that he said contradict the central premise of those seeking independent military prosecutions - that such a move would encourage victims to report sexual assaults.

Army Brig. Gen. Richard Gross, legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a survey that he conducted of military justice systems in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Germany found no correlation between the use of independent prosecutors and the rates of reporting and prosecution of sexual assaults.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 07/25/2013

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