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Supreme Court rules on Trump ban of transgender troops
VOL. 102, ISSUE 74
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019
snow, sleet and rain pound southern Illinois
David G Savage | LA Times
The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside nationwide orders from three federal judges and ruled the Defense Department could now enforce President Donald Trump’s policy that effectively bans transgender people from serving in the military. The justices acted on a 5-4 vote, over dissents by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The court’s decision, though not a final ruling on the constitutional question, is a significant victory for Trump and his lawyers. Last month, they filed emergency appeals in the high court and urged the justices to act now to put Trump’s ban into effect while the legal fight continued in the lower courts. Trump’s Solicitor Gen. Noel Francisco said keeping the president’s policy on hold “posed too great a risk to military effectiveness and lethality,” and he urged the court to defer to the “professional judgment” of the military’s leaders. The decision suggests the justices are likely to uphold the Trump policy when the constitutional case eventually reaches the high court. But advocates for the transgender troops believe their lawsuits will reveal the Defense Department had no valid basis for reimposing a discriminatory policy. In Trump vs. Karnosky and two companion cases, the court said the “preliminary injunction is stayed pending disposition of the government’s appeal” in the lower courts.
Please see TROOPS | 2
Isabel Miller | @IsabelMMiller
Morgan Zabinski, of Carterville, pumps gas on Saturday at the MotoMart Gas Station in Carterville, Illinois. A winter storm brought several inches of snow and sleet to the southern Illinois region. The storm closed a section of I-57 from Marion to Mt. Vernon after a semi jackknifed about 10 miles south of Marion, blocking both northbound lanes, according to Keith Miley, IDOT spokesman. As traffic built up, several vehicles went off the road in attempts to not hit other vehicles on the road. Some readers report that they were stuck for over four hours on the stretch.
Paul Echols, retired Carbondale lieutenant, honored by NAACP for efforts in clemency case Emily Cooper | Staff Reporter
Paul Echols, a retired police lieutenant and criminal justice professor, was honored Monday for helping Grover Thompson, a wrongly convicted black man, gain clemency for after a decades old murder case. Thompson was granted clemency on Jan. 11– 23 years after he died in a southern Illinois prison. He was wrongfully convicted for the attempted murder of Ida White, a widow living in the apartment across the street from the post office, where Thompson was sleeping. “Echols, who interrogated the serial killer and heard
the serial killer’s confession, worked for more than a decade to clear Thompson,” said Roy Mazuchowski, vice president for the Carbondale branch of the NAACP. He said former Illinois governor Bruce Rauner denied a clemency request filed on Thompson’s behalf in 2015 by Echols. “Three years ago I stood at this podium asking for your help in exonerating Thompson and many of you responded by sending letters to the governor,” Echols said. “I doubt we could’ve done this without your help.” Former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner granted posthumous clemency to Grover earlier this
month – days before he left office. Linda Flowers said the desire to keep going and make a difference for one person is very altruistic. “Because of his struggle in righting a wrong, he deserves this award,” said Flowers, president for the Carbondale chapter of the NAACP. “It’s a lesson for all of us on standing for what you believe [in] and never giving up.” Mike Henry, mayor of Carbondale, commended Echols’ efforts during the ceremony. “He saw an injustice and just never gave up,” Henry said. “He has pictured it for a long, long time. He deserves all of the congratulations and honors we
can give him.” Echols said while the recognition is flattering, it’s also a bittersweet experience but he feels good knowing he was able to relieve some of the Thompson family’s pain. “In most exonerations, you get to watch the person walk out of prison and regain their freedom and that’s not possible in this particular case because Thompson died in 1996 but there is nothing you can do about that except learn from it,” Echols said. Detective Jim Smith, of Cape Girardeau, and Echols sat and listened to Tim Krajcir confess to multiple murders because he was set to receive the death penalty if he didn’t, Echols said. Please see ECHOLS | 2