The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 154

THE PALM BEACH POST FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1994 3A V- Senate OKs Barkett for federal bench Much opposition to Barkett centered on -two death penalty cases. In one, Barkett joined a dissenting by Justice Parker Lee McDonald, who wrote that a murderer affiliated with the Black Liber- ation Army should have his sentence commut- ed to life because the killing was a "social' awareness case." Hatch noted that the killer had tape record-l ed a message to the victim's mother describing! how her son was stabbed in the back and then; shot in the chest and through the ear. In another case, Barkett wrote a dissent supported by two other members, arguing that'-' a convicted killer's sentence should be re examined because of charges that the tor discriminated in seeking the death penalty along racial lines. Graham argued that Barkett had heard more than 500 death penalty cases many involving multiple cases against the same-defendant and had voted to affirm the death penalty against more than 125 individuals. Barkett, the daughter of immigrants who' settled in Mexico after leaving the Lebanon" Syria area in the 1930s, came to America as a child and became a naturalized citizen in 1958, Raised in a devout Catholic family, she became a nun and a teacher, but gave up her vows in her late 20s to enroll in the University" of Florida Law School, where she graduated at the top of her class.

She returned to West Palm Beach toj practice law before Graham appointed her to- the state circuit court and later to the court 6f appeal. He appointed her to the Florida Supreme Court in 1985. vote saying: "During her tenure as chief justice of Florida's highest court, Rosemary Barkett has built a reputation as a thoughtful jurist and courageous leader. The people of the 11th Circuit will be well served by her confirmation." Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, led the opposition to Barkett's nomination.

Hatch acknowledged that Barkett had affirmed the death penalty in numerous cases, but argued "she has clearly been the single, most anti-death penalty member of the Florida Supreme Court." Hatch charged that Barkett's opinions would make imposition of the death penalty "virtually unenforceable," unless states could prove that the punishment was not being disproportionately imposed along racial lines. With Barkett's confirmation a certainty, most of the debate was conducted by her opponents, who used the opportunity to attack President Clinton as well as his nominee. "Nobody who appoints a person such as Justice Barkett means a word he says when he says he's tough on crime," said Sen. Robert Smith, warning Clinton not to nominate someone with similar beliefs for the pending U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.

Sen. Jesse Helms, said Clinton talked tough on crime but nominated a person "more interested in making excuses for criminals than in having them held responsible for their acts." He warned that Barkett would "allow her liberal positions to usurp the power" of elected officials. Opponents call the Florida jurist soft on crime, but approve her on a 61-37 vote. By LARRY LIPMAN Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Rosemary Barkett, the one-time nun who became chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, was confirmed Thursday for a lifetime appointment to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 61-37 vote by the U.S. Senate, largely along partisan lines, came after six hours of debate in which opponents criticized her as "soft on crime" and an impediment to the death penalty Supporters defended her as an experienced jurist willing to enforce the law including the death penalty. Sen. Bob Graham, a Democrat who as Florida's governor appointed Barkett to the state circuit court in Palm Beach County, the state court of appeal and the state Supreme Court, said Barkett, 54, "is a uniquely qualified woman to serve on the federal judiciary." Graham noted that Barkett was recommended three times by state judicial nominating commissions and that she received 61 percent of the vote in a hotly contested retention election in 1992 in which she had the endorsement of the state's two largest law enforcement groups. He also noted that Barkett had been elected chief justice by her colleagues on the state Supreme Court.

Sen. Connie Mack, also voted for Barkett, but did not speak on her behalf. Gov. Lawton Chiles applauded the Senate THE ASSOCIATED PRESS I Relatives grieve Thursday for one of six people who was killed whed a bomb exploded on a bus in Hadera Wednesday. The Is- larjHC group Mamas claimed responsibility Tor tne DomDing.

Israel buries bomb victims, celebrates Independence Day essays Sx of the Israeli state with outings, airshows and displays of military D1 GOOD (B might. In Hadera, where five Israelis and an Arab woman were killed and about 30 wounded, festivities were subdued. (SKFI(2D(3SUf GODl? (2 "We have decided to restrict Independence Day celebrations," said Hadera Mayor Nehemia Right now, with the purchase of selected The Islamic resistance movement Hamas, which opposes the Israeli-PLO peace accord, said one Bryant high-efficiency Two-Speed Plus air conditioner Palm Beach Post Wire Services JERUSALEM Bereaved I families buried the victims of the i latest suicide bombing in the town I of Hadera, while elsewhere in Is- I others celebrated the 46th anniyerary of the Jewish state I Thursday, I In Sidon, southern Lebanon, a 5 roadside bomb killed eight people I on Thursday. An Israeli-allied mili- tia retaliated by shelling Sidon, fs killing four and sending tens of i thousands of residents scurrying, A barrage of Katyusha rockets into the Galilee panhandle fol- lowed Israeli shelling, In Israel, Israelis with blue- and-white national flags fluttering from their cars flooded parks for holiday barbecues. Security forces I were on full alert for further repri- sals on Independence Day, which I Muslim militants had promised to turn into "hell." Israelis have traditionally cele- brated the May 14, 1948 creation of its guerrillas bombed the bus on Israel's memorial day to avenge February's massacre of some 30 Muslim worshipers by a Jewish air conditioning systems, you'll get a free 5-year factory-backed warranty on parts and settler in Hebron.

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Offer ends 53194. tros Boutros-Ghali warned of more airstrikes if U.N. personnel were threatened, and President TTT QOQQOQ MuuiU 1 1 i Vln CL Maine mm flection 4 The Los Angeles Times i I WASHINGTON The escalating warfare between Bosnian Serb forces and U.N. peacekeepers in Bos- nia-Herzegovina claimed an-' other casualty Thursday: i plans for greater cooperation between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Or- ganization. I Russian Foreign Minis-; tr Andrei Kozyrev an-; nounced in Moscow that he i has postponed Russia's en-! try into the "Partnership for Peace," President Clinton's i program for increased coop- eration between NATO and the formerly communist na-! tions of Eastern Europe.

In Washington, State De- partment spokesman Mi-. chael McCurry said the Clin-! tbn administration was "jconcerned" about the Rus-; sian decision and hoped it did not mean a definitive rever-! sal of Russia's decision to join the partnership, which Clinton has made the center- piece of Western efforts to promote stability in Europe. Kozyrev called off a scheduled April 21 visit to Brussels, where he was to enroll Russia in the program, and tied the decision to his government's complaint that it was not fully consulted in advance of NATO airstrikes against Serb positions earlier this week. He told reporters Thurs-day that Russia first needs to define its conditions for col-! laborating with NATO. END OF SEASON SELLOUT! iwuuii i IB Clinton cautioned the Serbs that it would be a mistake to treat U.N.

peacekeepers in Bosnia as enemy combatants. Serbs detained 24 more peacekeepers Thursday, raising fears they might be trying to avert further air raids by holding U.N. people as virtual hostages. Serbs now are restricting the movements of 161 U.N. personnel.

Serb leaders also ordered all journalists for U.S. news organizations to get out of Bosnian Serb areas immediately. The order reflected the Serbs' feeling that foreign news media are biased against them. In hopes of defusing an explosive situation, international negotiators were meeting again with leaders of Bosnia's warring sides to try to achieve a truce. Angry over NATO strikes at Serb positions near the Muslim-held town of Gorazde on Sunday and Monday, Bosnian Serb leaders have threatened to shoot at any more attacking NATO planes.

Late Thursday, a U.N. spokesman reported that six unarmed U.N. military observers were taken from an observation point at Hresa, northeast of Sarajevo, to a Bosnian Serb barracks in Mokro, near the Serb stronghold of Pale. unanaeucr fev Mills T. 11 stock i .1 RlUltl TlCr LUCII8 i Ml HAO II I s)P IHlB now Jin.

IMkM.l 7 41 4900 BathroomX mW IrWVChandelier Shown 259 I List lW L-rll if Vl stiffei mm i $1ft QRmsmm bao VpTmi FineArt Mjl asshown! B.SDi-f OU 70 1 KJ tf II I Other swingarm lamps 111 I ft ESI I 20 oft 11. flm off nst International trade conference to be held in Fort Lauderdale kSJt i- mii ii- such as, which plants and animals might become threatened due to trade. The CITES conference will be held at the new Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, Nov. 6-18. CITES has imposed a worldwide ban on trade in ivory, haited commerce in exotic birds such as parrots and macas, and expressed KJII STUART LOCATION JUNO BEACH STUART fif ATinu JUNO BEACH By LARRY LIPMAN Palnr Beach Post Washington Bureau 'WASHINGTON Fort Lauderdale will host the next 122-rnember nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday. i 20-year-old CITES treaty requires member countries to ineet every two years to discuss international wildlife trade issues I Regency Square mi 1 Sat. Loggerhead Plaza 11 25 U.S. Hwy. 1 (407)622-7087 2526 SE Fed.

Hwy. (407)287-9408 concern about endangered or threatened wildlife..