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ByMarkSherman TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON The fed- eral judge who's hearing a Trump University law- suit is "a hater of Donald Trump" and ought to be removed from the case. So says Donald Trump, in just one of the recent com- ments by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee that have legal experts worrying about his commitment to an in- dependent judiciary and his views on presidential powers. In the midst of a heated presidential campaign, Trump has expressed un- usually personal criti- cism — focusing on the judge's Mexican heritage — though his lawyers have never actually sought to have the judge removed. His comments are bringing overwhelming disapproval from politi- cians and lawyers in his own Republican Party. On Friday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said of the state- ments about the judge: "It's reasoning I don't re- late to, I completely dis- agree with the thinking behind that." And conservative legal scholars say Trump's state- ments reinforce their wor- ries that he seems to think he can do whatever he wants and disregard rules and conventions that con- strain other political can- didates. "The concern is that he would act unbounded in the presidency, in a way that doesn't follow the law," said John McGinnis, a Northwestern University law professor. Criticism of the Su- preme Court and the rest of the federal judiciary has been a regular feature of recent Republican presi- dential campaigns, includ- ing proposals to strip fed- eral judges of lifetime ten- ure and reduce the budgets of liberal-leaning courts. Those ideas, though, did not single out judges or fo- cus on race, ethnicity or re- ligion. "Here it's just about Trump," said Case West- ern Reserve University law professor Jonathan Adler. More troubling, Adler said, is that the recent comments seem to fit a pattern of intemperate re- marks Trump has made during the campaign. "He said he would give military officers unlawful orders and expect them to comply," Adler said, refer- ring to Trump's claim that the military would follow his orders to torture sus- pected terrorists. Trump has since backed off on that. "He has repeatedly given indications he has no appreciation for the rule of law," Adler said. Trump made his first reported comments about U.S. District Judge Gon- zalo Curiel in February, linking Curiel's Mexican heritage with what Trump described as the judge's "tremendous hostility" over Trump's plan to build a wall along the Mexican border. Trump has vari- ously referred to Curiel as Spanish, Mexican and His- panic and has called the judge "a hater of Donald Trump." He told The Wall Street Journal that Curiel has "an absolute conflict of interest" because of his heritage as well as "an in- herent conflict of interest" because Trump wants to build the border wall. Curiel is a native of In- diana whose parents emi- grated from Mexico. He re- ceived undergraduate and law degrees from Indiana University and served as a federal prosecutor and a judge in the California state judicial system be- fore being nominated to the federal bench by Pres- ident Barack Obama in 2011. Tr um p' s at ta ck s on j ud ge spark GOP concerns PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE By Tim Dahlberg The Associated Press Muhammad Ali, the magnificent heavyweight champion whose fast fists and irrepressible personal- ity transcended sports and captivated the world, has died. He was 74. Ali suffered for years from Parkinson's disease, which ravaged his body but could never dim his larger- than-life presence. A tower- ing figure in his prime, he still traveled and made ap- pearances in his later years despite being muted by the thousands of hits he took during his remarkable ca- reer. He was hospitalized in Phoenix with respiratory problems earlier this week, and his family gathered around him. He died Friday night, according to a state- ment from the family. Ali was a giant of his time — a furious and loud fighter whose influence was felt far beyond the ring. He engaged in some of the world's most iconic fights even though his career was interrupted for more than three years when he re- fused to be drafted for mili- tary service during the Viet- nam War. He beat the invinci- ble Sonny Liston, fought a string of thrilling fights with Joe Frazier and stopped George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jun- gle" in Zaire. But he paid a terrible price for the esti- mated 29,000 punches he took to his head during a career that made him per- haps the most recognized person on earth. "I am the greatest," Ali thundered again and again. Few would disagree. Despite his debilitat- ing illness, he traveled the world to rapturous recep- tions even as the once-bel- lowing voice was reduced to a whisper and he was left to communicate with a wink or a weak smile. Revered — and reviled — by millions, Ali cut quite a figure in his prime, indeed, complete with an entou- rage nearly as colorful as he was urging him to "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." He finished with a re- cord of 56-5 with 37 knock- outs and was the first man to win heavyweight titles three times. But his life outside the ring was as fascinating — and controversial — as his life inside the ropes. Ali spurned white Amer- ica when he joined the Black Muslims and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. He defied the draft at the height of the Vietnam war — "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong" — and lost 3 years from the prime of his ca- reer. He entertained world leaders, once telling Philip- pines President Ferdinand Marcos: "I saw your wife. You're not as dumb as you look." The quiet of Ali's later life was in contrast to the roar of a career that had breath- taking highs as well as ter- rible lows. He exploded on the public scene in the 1960s with a series of na- tionally televised fights that gave the public an ex- citing new champion and entertained millions as he sparred verbally with the likes of bombastic sports- caster Howard Cosell in in- terviews. Ali once estimated he had made $57 million in his pro career, but the effect of the punches lingered long after most of the money was gone. That didn't stop him from traveling tirelessly to promote Islam, meet with world leaders and cham- pion legislation dubbed the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, meant to pro- tect fighters from being ex- ploited by managers and promoters. While slowed in recent years, he still was able to make numerous ap- pearances, including a trip to Ireland in 2009. Despised by some for his outspoken beliefs and re- fusal to serve in the U.S. Army in the 1960s, an aging Ali became a poignant fig- ure whose attendance at a sporting event would draw long standing ovations. With his face nearly fro- zen from the disease and his hands trembling, he lit the Olympic torch for the 1996 Atlanta Games in a performance as riveting as some of his fights —namely, the "Rumble in the Jungle" and the "Thrilla in Manila." OBITUARY Muhammad Ali, who riveted world as 'The Greatest,' dies JOHNROONEY—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, stands over challenger Sonny Liston, shouting and gesturing shortly a er dropping Liston with a short hard right to the jaw, in Lewiston, Maine, in 1965. P.O.Box220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Support our classrooms, keep kids reading. DONATE YOUR VACATION newspaper dollars to the Newspaper In Education Program HELP OUR CHILDREN Formoredetailscall Circulation Department (530) 737-5047 Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. 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