European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 b the stars and stripes thursday october 24,1991thomas sworn in Early As Justice Washington a Clarence Thomas became history a 106th supreme court Justice after taking a judicial oath wednesday to a do equal right to the poor and the chief Justice William h. Rehnquist administered the oath at 12 05 . In the courts conference room a court spokeswoman said. The Only other people in attendance said spokeswoman Toni House were Thomas wife Virginia Seri. John c. Danforth a to. And Ron Jones the chief justices administrative assistant. The Surprise move was made at Thom ask request House said. She said he already had begun preparing for the courts return from a two week recess and sought the moved up swearing in so his staff could be put on the Supi me court payroll As of wednesday. Thomas who was administered a constitutional oath at a White House ceremony Friday had been scheduled to take his judicial oath in a courtroom ceremony nov. 1. House said that courtroom ceremony will be conducted but added a was of 12 05 today Clarence Thomas is a House said Virginia Thomas held the Bible while her husband took the Brief oath. She said Danforth snapped a photograph of the proceeding a for the oath Thomas took says a i do solemnly swear or affirm that i will administer Justice without respect to persons and do equal right to the poor and to the Rich and that i will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform All duties incumbent upon me As an associate Justice of the supreme court under the Constitution and the Laws of the United states so help me the private setting for the ceremony varied from the courts recent history. Public courtroom ceremonies have become the Norm but in earlier times Many justices took their oaths in private. As a result of the oath taking Thomas annual salary Rose from the $132,700 he was making As a Federal appellate judge to $153,600. Thomas staff members Are also in line for pay raises but it was not immediately known How much More Money they will receive. Family s late notice of Friendly fire death investigated by army High rollers Square off it was fickle a a chances that bankrupted Macdoel calif., potato former Michael Cross and made Gary Peters Center the . Monopoly Champion tuesday. Eastern regional Champ Jeff Cornett right of Monroe conn., watches Peters make his move during the Competition at new Yorkus Regency hotel. Peters an investment banker from Coral Springs ela., will go on to compete against winners in 30 countries for the world championship scheduled next october in Berlin. Washington a the army will investigate Why the family of a Soldier killed by Friendly fire was not informed about the circumstances of his death until several months later a Pentagon spokesman said tuesday. A the army has decided it will do an investigation Quot spokesman Bob Hall said. A clearly based on what we now know the system did no to Hall was questioned about the military s casualty notice to the parents of Cpl. Douglas fielder. The Soldier died of wounds inflicted by machine gun fire from a Bradley fighting vehicle on the third Day of the ground phase of the persian Gulf War. The parents originally were informed that he had been killed by hostile fire. The Washington Post reported Over the weekend that 3rd army Cav regt soldiers in armoured vehicles mistook fielder and a Small group of combat engineers for iraqis. The Post report said the troopers fired warning shots and used loudspeakers to broadcast demands for surrender in arabic. They killed fielder and wounded one of his colleagues before realizing they had made a mistake the Post reported. Although the cavalry unit Learned of the mistake within minutes of fielders death the army a official casualty notice delivered to fielders parents the next Day said he had been killed by iraqi Small arms fire. The parents Ronald fielder and Debbie Shelton told the Post they did not learn the truth about their songs death until his friends in the unit telephoned them from saudi Arabia on May 2. The army provided official notice aug. 12 that fielder had died in a Friendly fire incident. Hall speaking with reporters at a Pentagon briefing said the army intended to investigate Why the formal reporting system about such incidents resulted to incorrect information being provided the parents and whether that has a a implications for any other such incidents. Army spokeswoman maj. Barbara Goodno said she was unaware whether there were any other cases in which families had been provided incorrect information about Friendly fire incidents. In August the Pentagon said it had identified 28 incidents during operation desert storm in which . Forces mistakenly engaged other american forces resulting in the death of 35 servicemen Bers and the wounding of 72 others. Appeals court blocks execution of former Marine Huntsville Texas apr a former Marine Captain convicted of hiring a hit Man through Soldier of Fortune Magazine to kill his wife won a stay tuesday night just hours before he was scheduled to be executed. Prison officials said the Texas court of criminal appeals granted the stay for Robert Black 46, who had laced lethal injection just after Midnight tuesday for the slaying of his wife Sandra at their Bryan Home feb. 21, 1�?~385. She was shot twice in the head by John Wayne i learn who had run a classified and in the Magazine that billed itself As the Quot journal for professional Black met i learn through the and and paid him $10,000 to kill his wife so that Black could collect $175,000 in recently purchased life insurance evidence showed. It also indicated that Black planned to marry his Cousin. Hearn pleaded guilty to the slaying and testified against Black in Exchange for a life prison term. He is in Florida serving that term and two other life sentences for unrelated killings. Earlier tuesday the appeals court had refused a similar request to halt Blacks execution. Blacks attorneys again sought a stay from a lower court which rejected it but then the appeals court granted it. Court officials and Black s lawyers could not immediately be reached by Telephone tuesday night to explain Why the stay was granted. Until late last week. Black had been refusing Legal help. Quot i know in a going to die some Day so it Surprise anybody if october 23rd would be that Day Quot he said. A i just told the judge in court i had no objections to the october 23rd on Friday he agreed to allow the Texas resource Center a Legal group that assists death Row convicts to monday the trial court in Bryan refused to Block the execution sending the Case to the appeals courts. Blacks lawyers contended their client is schizophrenic and paranoid and suffers from a depression illness. They said his previous attorneys May have been ineffective in presenting that As mitigating evidence. Black who served in Vietnam also blamed Post traumatic stress syndrome for his troubles readjusting from combat. Since his imprisonment Black said he had been on medication to counter depression. Evidence of his medical problems was not introduced at his backs a Hospital closures urges private care Washington a a department of veterans affairs report concludes that it May be cheaper for the government to close some medical programs at Rural a hospitals and contract with private hospitals. The plan of a special a commission would entitle veterans living More than 200 Miles from a a Hospital to care at closer private or government hospitals. "1�?There arc other ways of providing the care outside of a a medical Center a a spokeswoman Linda Salvey said tuesday. A summary of the panel s Long Range recommendations a the full report was not due out until wednesday a reinforces earlier proposals to realign some hospitals and to allow indians and other non veterans to use a services. The plan also seeks to expand eligibility for a services and merge duplicate medical programs at hospitals in Urban areas. The vans inspector general earlier this year recommended closing underused programs at 33 Rural a medical centers. The commission plan suggests a minimum Standard of 30 Beds each for surgical and psychiatric units and 60 Beds for non surgical patients. Surgical units at two of South Dakota a three a hospitals Are already on the closing list. One has Only 16 surgical Beds while the other has just 19
