Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/315771
ByMaryclaireDale The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania's ban on gay marriage was over- turned by a federal judge Tues- day in a decision that legalizes same-sex marriage throughout the Northeast. U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III called the plaintiffs — a widow, 11 couples and one of the couples' two teenage daughters — courageous. "We are a better people than what these laws represent, and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history," Jones wrote of the 1996 state ban. Jones declined to put his ruling on hold during a potential appeal by the governor's office, which de- fended the ban in court. The order was therefore expected to go into immediate effect Tuesday, unless Republican Gov. Tom Corbett suc- cessfully moved for a stay while he appealed. State marriage bans have been falling around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down part of the federal De- fense of Marriage Act. If Jones' de- cision stands, Pennsylvania would become the 19th state to legalize gay marriage. One of the Pennsylvania plain- tiffs, Maureen Hennessey, mar- ried her longtime companion, Mary Beth McIntyre, out of state in 2011. McIntyre died in May af- ter battling cancer. "Everyone is just thrilled," said Hennessey, 53, of Philadelphia, who was sipping champagne af- ter the ruling was announced. "We were optimistic for a win, the attorneys worked so hard ... now we'll be celebrating." Lawyers for the plaintiffs had said the law harms same-sex cou- ples and their children by depriv- ing them of the legal protections and tax benefits afforded to mar- ried couples. Corbett's office was left to de- fendthelawafterAttorneyGeneral Kathleen Kane called it unconsti- tutional and refused to do so. The governor did not immediately an- nounce whether he would appeal. "The opinion's just been pub- lished. We're currently review- ing all the legal issues presented in the opinion," said Joshua Maus, a spokesman for Corbett's legal of- fice. Kane, the American Civil Lib- erties Union and other supporters cheered the ruling, which came as the state's primary elections were underway. "Our commonwealth pro- gressed today and so have the hopes and dreams of many who suffer from inequality," Kane said. The Pennsylvania lawsuit, filed July 9, was the first known chal- lenge to the state law that effec- tively bans same-sex marriage and the recognition of gay marriages from other states. Challenges At least five later challenges have surfaced in state and federal courts since the lawsuit was filed, including one in which a county of- ficial is defending his decision to is- sue 174 marriage licenses to same- sex couples. Oregon became the 18th state to recognize same-sex marriage on Monday, when jubilant cou- ples began applying for marriage licenses immediately after U.S. District Judge Michael McShane issued a ruling that invalidated that state's voter-approved same- sex marriage ban. MARRIAGE EQUALITY Judgeoverturnsbanin Penn., weddings begin MATTSLOCUMPHOTOS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Ashley Wilson, le , and Lindsay Vandermay, right, both 29, kiss a er getting their marriage license at the Philadelphia Marriage Bureau in City Hall on Tuesday. By Jack Gillum The Associated Press WASHINGTON The victims were their own worst enemies. The hacking techniques the U.S. government says China used against U.S. companies turned out to be disappoint- ingly mundane, tricking em- ployees into opening email at- tachments or clicking on inno- cent-looking website links. The scariest part might be how successfully the ruses worked. With a mouse click or two,employeesatbig-nameU.S. makers of nuclear and solar technology gave away the keys to their computer networks. In a 31-count indictment, the Justice Department said five Chinese military officials op- erating under aliases such as "Ugly Gorilla," "KandyGoo" and "Jack Sun" stole confi- dential business information, sensitive trade secrets and internal communications for competitive advantage. The U.S. identified the alleged victims as Alcoa World Alu- mina, Westinghouse, Allegh- eny Technologies, U.S. Steel, United Steelworkers Union and SolarWorld. China denied it all Tuesday. "The Chinese government and Chinese military as well as relevant personnel have never engaged and never partici- pated in so-called cybertheft of trade secrets," Foreign Minis- try spokesman Hong Lei said in Beijing. "What the United States should do now is with- draw its indictment." That's unlikely. What the Justice Department is doing is spelling out exactly how it says China pulled it off. The U.S. says the break-ins were more Austin Powers than James Bond. Insome cases, the government says, the hackers used"spear-phishing"—awell- known scam to trick specific companies or employees into infecting their own computers. HIGH TECH China's hackers fool US workers Employees easily tricked into clicking web, email links The Associated Press ST. LOUIS A federal ap- peals court panel granted a temporary halt to the ex- ecution of Missouri inmate Russell Bucklew on Tues- day evening, hours be- fore he was scheduled to die for killing a southeast Missouri man in 1996, cit- ing concerns that Buck- lew could suffer during le- thal injection due to a rare medical condition. "Bucklew's unrebutted medical evidence demon- strates the requisite suffi- cient likelihood of unneces- sary pain and suffering be- yond the constitutionally permissible amount inher- ent in all executions," the ruling from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals read. Cheryl Pilate, an attor- ney for Bucklew, said she was "relieved" by the rul- ing, though it doesn't nec- essarily mean the execu- tion is off. The panel's rul- ing could be overturned by the full appeals court, or by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a dissenting opinion, appeals court Judge James Loken said Bucklew's med- ical evidence "simply does not satisfy the Supreme Court's rigorous standards" for a stay of execution. EXECUTION Inmate with rare condition granted last-minute stay By Nedra Pickler The Associated Press WASHINGTON On the eve of a critical Senate vote and under court order, the Obama administration sig- naled it will publicly reveal a secret memo describing its legal justification for us- ing drones to kill U.S. citi- zens suspected of terrorism overseas. Two administration of- ficials told The Associated Press that the Justice De- partment has decided not to appeal a Court of Appeals ruling requiring disclosure of a redacted version of the memo under the Freedom of Information Act. The of- ficials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. The decision to release the documents comes as the Senate is to vote Thurs- day on advancing President Barack Obama's nomination of the memo's author, Har- vard professor and former Justice Department official David Barron, to sit on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- peals in Boston. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had vowed to fight Barron's confirmation, and some Democratic sena- tors were calling for the me- mo's public release before a final vote. Wednesday's expected vote would allow the Senate to move ahead with a final vote on Barron on Thurs- day. "I think we'll be OK," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said earlier Tuesday. Anwar al-Awlaki, an al- Qaida leader born in the United States, was killed af- ter being targeted by a drone strike in Yemen in Septem- ber 2011. Some legal scholars and human rights activists complained that it was ille- gal for the U.S. to kill Amer- ican citizens away from the battlefield without a trial. Some senators, including those in Obama's own party, have called for the public re- lease of the memo before the final confirmation vote. The White House agreed under the pressure to show sen- ators unredacted copies of all written legal advice writ- ten by Barron regarding the potential use of lethal force against U.S. citizens in coun- terterrorism operations. WHITE HOUSE Justice Dept. plans to reveal justification for using drones By Thanyarat Doksone The Associated Press BANGKOK Thailand'spower- ful military chief intervened Tuesday for the first time in the country's latest political crisis, declaring martial law anddispatchinggun-mounted jeepsintotheheartofthecap- ital with a vow to resolve the deepening conflict as quickly as possible. The move stopped short of a coup and left the nation's increasingly cornered care- taker government intact, along with the constitution. Despite a steady stream of army edicts throughout the day that expanded the military's power and in- cluded censorship of news and social media, life con- tinued normally with resi- dents largely unfazed by the declaration. But the inter- vention, which follows six months of crippling protests that killed 28 people and in- jured more than 800, left the country at another pre- carious crossroads — its fate now squarely in the hands of the military. "The key going forward will be the military's role in politics," said Thitinan Pong- sudhirak, director of the In- stitute of Security and Inter- nationalStudiesatBangkok's ChulalongkornUniversity."If they play the role of enforcer oflawandorderandevenme- diator ... this could be a reso- lution to the impasse." But if they don't, "we can expect protests and turmoil from the losing side." Thailand has been gripped by off-and-on po- litical turmoil since 2006, when former Prime Minis- ter Thaksin Shinawatra was toppled by a military coup af- ter being accused of corrup- tion, abuse of power and dis- respect for Thailand's king. His overthrow triggered a power struggle that in broad terms pits Thaksin's sup- porters among a rural ma- jority against a conservative establishment in Bangkok. The army action came a day after Thailand's care- taker prime minister refused to step down, resisting pres- surefromagroupofsenators calling for a new interim gov- ernment with full power to conduct political reforms. THAILAND Mi li ta ry d ec la re s ma rt ia l la w I-5atLiberalAvenueinCorning | 530528-3500 | www.rollinghillscasino.com Monday,May26th $500cashdrawingsstartingat1:00pm! Youcouldwinachancetospintheprizewheelfor Free Slot Play, Free Buffet for Two, or Dinner at Timbers! WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 3 B