European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday june 14, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 5high court restricts environmental suits by Ruth Marcus the Washington Post Washington a the supreme court on Friday made it harder for environmental groups to sue to enforce environmental Laws drawing an angry dissent from Justice Harry a. Blackmun that a majority on the court engaged in a a slash and Burn expedition to keep environmental plaintiffs out of court. The court on a 7-2 vote dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Bush administrations View that . Agencies funding development projects overseas do not have to comply with the endangered species act. The court did not Rule on the underlying question of whether the Laws provisions extend abroad but dismissed the Case on the Legal ground that those challenging the administration lacked standing to sue. Lawyers for environmental groups and the government agreed Friday that the courts approach imposed additional hurdles on environmental lawsuits challenging actions in the United states and overseas. A a it a going to make it very very difficult for citizens to get any kind of Relief in court when the government decides to destroy the environment a said Brian of Neill who argued the Case on behalf of defenders of wildlife. A this opinion at its Core is just hostile to any kind of environmental  Interior department spokesman Steven Goldstein said department officials were a a gratified and a Hope this decision will limit the number of unsubstantiated court challenges to our programs and  the ruling a which conservation groups warned could threaten hundreds of endangered species overseas a came As president Bush spoke at the Earth Summit in Brazil. Bush has been under fire from environmentalists and other countries for his decision not to sign a biodiversity treaty aimed at protecting threatened plants and wildlife. A a it a a tragic decision for americans and for wildlife a said Teresa Telecky associate director of wildlife and habitat Protection at the humane society of the United states one of the plaintiffs in the Case. A a. This basically gives the go ahead for agencies of the Federal government to support activities that destroy wildlife in other  Interior department spokesman Goldstein disputed that View. A fall along we have stated that this administration is committed to upholding the endangered species act a he said. A this Case was not about that Issue. This was about whether United states environmental policy would supersede that of economic and foreign policy and the court clearly ruled 7-2 in our  under the 1973 endangered species act Federal agencies must consult with the Interior department to make sure their actions Are not Likely to jeopardize endangered or threatened species or destroy habitats. In 1986, the Interior department said the Law did not apply to .-funded projects overseas. Defenders of wildlife other environmental groups and their members challenged the department. A Federal appeals court agreed saying the endangered species act a clearly demonstrates congressional commitment to worldwide conservation efforts. To limit the consultation duty in a manner which protects Only Domestic endangered species runs contrary to such a  in its ruling Friday in Lujan is. Defenders of wildlife the High court neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead it said those challenging the Law lacked Legal standing to pursue their Case because they had not proved they faced a imminent  Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the court majority also said the fact that the endangered species act contains a specific a a citizen suite provision allowing individuals to Challenge violations of the Law docs not mean any person can sue to Force the government to comply with required procedures. He said such plaintiffs also must prove that they suffer individual Concrete harm. Blackmun dissenting said the decision a reflects an unseemly solicitude for an expansion of Power of the executive  he warned that the a principal effect of foreclosing judicial enforcement of such procedures is to Transfer Power into the hands of the executive at the expense not of the courts a but of Congress from which that Power originates and  Justice Sandra Day of Connor joined Blackmun a dissent. Justice John Paul Stevens agreed that defenders of wildlife had standing in the Case but said the Law does not cover overseas projects. . 10years ago june 14,1982 a King Khaled of saudi Arabia died of a massive heart attack at age 69. Crown Prince fahd 60, who ran daily government affairs was immediately proclaimed the new king.20 year Sago june 14,1972 a the House approved a Bill giving the Pentagon authority to test service members for evidence of drug dependency to set up treatment programs and require service members hooked on drugs to undergo treatment and rehabilitation for up to 30 Days beyond their term of service. 30years ago june 14,1962 a president Kennedy told soviet Premier Nikita s. Khrushchev that no Quot untoward actions anywhere should be allowed to disrupt Progress represented by the formation of a new government in laos.40 years ago june 14,1952 a Allied infantrymen threw Back Strong chinese counterattacks in night fighting on the korean Central front. Justice department finds records that May Aid Demjan Juk defense Washington a the Justice department said Friday it has uncovered evidence misplaced 14 years ago that could help the defense of John Demjan Juk convicted of being the nazi concentration Camp guard known As a Ivan the  in a statement assistant attorney general Robert s. Mueller said the department has had since 1978 interrogation reports in which two other guards at the Treblinka concentration Camp in Poland say another Man not Demjan Juk operated the Gas chamber there. The materials gathered for the prosecution of Feodor Fedorenko another Treblinka guard a were apparently maintained in the Fedorenko tiles from that Point Onward a Mueller said. He said that while preliminary evidence indicates no wrongdoing by Justice officials the matter will be taken up by the departments office of professional responsibility which investigates possible prosecutor Al misconduct by Justice attorneys. But Dema Njuki a attorney John Broadley dismissed the Justice depart ment action As a a a Whitewash and suggested an Independent investigation of the department according to the Cincinnati enquirer. A a it a not the Job of the office of professional responsibility to take the Justice department out to dry a Broadley was quoted by the newspaper in its saturday editions. A a they be never done that. It wont  neither of the newly discovered documents mentions Demjan Juk by name instead one refers to a a a Marchenko As one of two a motorists of the Gas  the other says a near the diesel engines by the Gas Chambers there worked a guard by the name of Marchenko  Demjan Juk a former Cleveland autoworkers was extradited to Israel in 1986 to face criminal charges after the Justice department had stripped him of his american citizenship. Do Janiuk 72, has insisted that he was never at the death Camp and that he was held As a prisoner of War elsewhere in Poland after serving in the soviet red army. The United states argued that dem Manjuk lied to immigration authorities to conceal involvement in the nazi is which operated the death Camps. During the trial in Israel five Treblinka survivors identified Demjan Juk As the guard  about 850,000 jews died at the Camp in 1942 and 1943. The documents uncovered by the Justice department were identical to 21 documents discovered last year by israeli investigators searching world War ii documents in the former soviet Union. Demjan Juk is appealing his 1988 conviction and death sentence in an israeli court. His family has argued that the Justice department knew about or had Possession of the newly discovered documents and should have turned them Over to Israel. The Justice department release also noted that israeli officials have discovered additional information from russian and German authorities including a 1943 document identifying Demjan Juk As a guard at the Maidanek concentration Camp in Poland. Agents group questions Fri anti Bias plan worn War 50 years ago today june 141 9. 4.2 the British ail Back toward Egypt after the defeat on the Al Gazala line in Libya leaving a Garrison at the port of Obruk and troops at Al Adem Axis planes attack a second British Convoy carrying supplies to beleaguered Malta sinking one cargo ship despite the crushing detect at Midway. Japanese military leaders order plans Tor invasions of new Caledonia Samoa and Fiji lure 2194 Days of War w h Smth a Sill s inc a by the new York times Washington a an organization of predominantly White agents for the Jbf has filed papers seeking to intervene in the Bureau s tentative settlement of a discrimination complaint by Black agents. Members of the organization said Friday they were questioning the need for giving Blacks preferential treatment. A we have sought statistics and rationale for the settlement and quite frankly we raised a number of concerns about things that Are tentatively included in the proposal a said James t. Burnett the executive vice president of the organization the Federal Bureau of investigation agents association. He would not specify which parts of the agreement the association was concerned about but he said the groups action was necessary because the Fri and badge the organization of Black agents had refused to cooperate. The investigation agents association represents two thirds of the bureaus agents. Of 10,467 agents 512 Are Black according to the Agency. Of that number 85 Are supervisors. Agency officials would not comment on the associations action but lawyers for the Black agents said they would oppose demands for Access to the bureaus personnel records. Lawyers for the Black agents also said they opposed any Effort by the agents association to participate in the negotiations. �?o1 am surprised and done to know what they Are doing a said David j. Shaffer a lawyer for badge an acronym for Black agents done to get Equality. Before the settlement the organization of 300 men and women had threatened to sue the Agency Over what it called a pattern of racial discrimination that has lingered from the Days when j. Edear Hoover openly discriminated against Black agents and harassed Black civil rights leaders. In agreeing to Settle the dispute Agency officials acknowledged a a disparities in the treatment of Black and White agents but did not acknowledge that racial discrimination had occurred. A when i was an agent there 15 years ago there was a Good of White boy network and to some extent it is still there a said rep. Don Edwards a Calif. He is also the chairman of the subcommittee on civil and constitutional rights which oversees the Agency. Edwards and others familiar with the proposed settlement say it provides some modest preferences to Blacks but that it would also clarify and codify the Agency a employment practices in a Way that is intended to help All employees by reducing cronyism. For Black agents the proposed settlement includes provisions for unspecified amounts of Back pay promoting some Black agents reassigning others to More desirable assignments and bureaus and sending More Blacks to management training. The Agency also agreed to hire outside consultants to review the Agency a promotion system and to accept changes in the Way it selects trains and evaluates employees for advancement