News briefs

Leading lawyer for Jussie Smollett can remain on case, judge rules

CHICAGO — A top defense lawyer for Jussie Smollett will be allowed to stay on the actor’s defense team but cannot cross-examine two key witnesses against him, a Cook County judge has ruled.

In a written order, Judge James Linn said the evidence “clearly and convincingly” shows that attorney Nenye Uche had spoken with those witnesses about the case in its early stages, an allegation that Uche has strenuously denied.

But ultimately, Linn said, Smollett’s right to the lawyer of his choice outweighs prosecutors’ concerns about a conflict of interest, especially given that Smollett has waived any conflict — and in the end, it’s his own freedom on the line.

The ruling puts Uche in an unusual position: a lead defense attorney unable to cross-examine two of the prosecution’s main witnesses. One of Smollett’s other attorneys will have to take that role.

Smollett’s team and the witnesses’ attorney both claimed vindication after Linn’s ruling.

In a statement on behalf of the defense, attorney Tamara Walker noted that Smollett gets to keep the counsel of his choice.

The months of debate over Uche’s role was “a frivolous distraction from the Office of the Special Prosecutor,” she wrote. “... (Smollett) is innocent of these charges and now we are focused on moving forward to trial.”

—Chicago Tribune

12 governors urge justices to uphold Mississippi abortion ban

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster has weighed in on a case in front of a U.S. Supreme Court that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade, which protects the right of a woman to have an abortion.

McMaster filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold Mississippi’s ban on abortion 15 weeks into a pregnancy except in cases of a medical emergency or a severe fetal abnormality.

Anti-abortion advocates hope a more conservative court will uphold abortion bans passed by state legislatures.

In 2018, the only clinic in Mississippi that performed abortions sued to prevent the law from taking effect. A federal court enjoined the law, a decision upheld by an appeal’s court.

The Supreme Court in May agreed to hear the Mississippi appeal to consider whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.

“There is no fight more important than the fight for life. That is why South Carolina has stood tall and fought for life at every turn and will continue to do so until the lives of the unborn are protected once and for all,” McMaster said in a news release Thursday. “Today’s action is another step closer to overturning Roe v. Wade and securing the precious gift of life for an untold number of children.”

Eleven other governors signed onto the amicus brief including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Georgia Gov. Brian K. Kemp, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Missouri Gov. Michael L. Parson and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Newsom asks Biden for more ‘boots on the ground’ against wildfires

WASHINGTON — California Gov. Gavin Newsom pleaded with President Joe Biden for more federal support in combating forest fires Friday during a virtual White House meeting with Western governors.

Following the governors of Montana and Washington, Newsom offered some of the most pointed criticism of the federal government’s handling of the issue during the public portion of the meeting.

“We just simply need, No. 1, more boots on the ground. We can’t do it without you guys,” Newsom told Biden, saying that the state’s resources are already stretched thin months before the peak of wildfire season.

“We’re not in fire season. Fire season in California is late September, October, into November. We’re in July, we already have 7,400 personnel actively working to suppress fires,” the California Democrat said.

“Last year, the federal government asked us for over 5,000 mutual aid support that we could not provide. That gives you a sense of what the federal government wanted from California last year to send to other states. That gives you a sense of how far behind we are with federal support.”

Biden repeatedly promised greater cooperation on the issue and asked the governors to identify what else the government could be doing to assist them.

“We’re in for a long fight yet this year. And the only way we’re going to meet those challenges is by working together,” Biden said at the outset of the meeting. “Wildfires are a problem for all of us, and we have to stay closely coordinated and doing everything we can for our people.”

—McClatchy Washington Bureau

6 passengers test positive for COVID-19 aboard Royal Caribbean ship

MIAMI — Six passengers on Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas cruise ship have tested positive for COVID-19.

The passengers tested positive Thursday, six days into the weeklong, round-trip cruise from Nassau, The Bahamas, with around 1,000 passengers and 900 crew members on board, and are being flown back to the U.S. on Friday from Freeport, a company spokesperson said.

Four of the positive passengers are vaccinated and are traveling separately. Two of the positive passengers are unvaccinated and traveling together.

Royal Caribbean International spokesperson Lyan Sierra-Caro said all crew members and all passengers 16 years old and older on the ship are vaccinated. Sierra-Caro declined to comment on the percentage of passengers who are vaccinated.

The passengers were tested on board the ship Thursday to comply with the U.S. government’s requirement that people test negative for COVID-19 before entering the country.

Passengers boarded the cruise ship in Nassau on Saturday. It visited Cozumel, Mexico, and the company’s private island in The Bahamas before arriving in Freeport on Friday. The 1,000 passengers on board represent about 35% of the ship’s capacity.

—Miami Herald