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Show .I'aU- - A6 THK DAILY HhKAl.U. Pros... I tali. luesday. Januan 7. 1W teourt to decide on protections for sexual assault By WOODY BAIRO DVi:KSBLKG. Tenn. irst. they put up w ith the judge's incessant gropings and demands lot sex. tearing all the while he would use his family's 'political clout to wreck their f lives. n Next, they had to testily in lederal court and endure neighbors' snide remarks before w inning a gratifying conviction and watching the mighty judge stripped of office. Then, not three years after he was put behind bars, they had to stomach an appeals court ruling Jthat freed their attacker on grounds the U.S. Constitution 'does not guaiantee freedom from sexual assault. Now the women who helped knock the judge from what appeared to be an unassailable perch have hope for a second victory. The U.S. Supreme Court w ill hear arguments Tuesday in the case of former Tennessee Judge David Lanier. "He raped me and he's going to pay for raping me." said Vivian lorsy who was attacked in Lanier's office while he had control over custody of her young daughter. Lanier. 61. was convicted in 1992 of v iolating the civil rights of five women through sexual abuse, under a federal law cov- ering government officials who ; use their official power to deprive someone of constitu-- ; tional rights. He went to prison on a 2 vear sentence, but in January 'l 996. the 6th U.S. Circuit Court ol Appeals voted 10-- 5 to overturn the conviction, ruling that U the Supreme Court has never specifically said sexual assault joiaics any rights granted by the U.S. Constitution. The Justice Department and civ il rights activ ists attacked the Circuit Court decision, saying the courts have long held that "bodily integrity" is protected by the Constitution. It's a legal concept, said Lynn Hecht Scliafran. a lawyer with the National for Organization Women, and has even been used j to prevent forced physical examination of crime suspects. such as stomach-pumpinOne of the appeals court dis- senters. Judge Martha Craig I Datightrey. said it seemed obv ous to her that "a citizen's right J not to be deprived of life, liberty and property ... encompasses the right not to be intentionally and sexually assaulted." The majority, however, found that the offenses for which Lanier was convicted were vio-- l lations of state law. not lederal ; ' -J law. 1 Hut the I I I J J oi ly ' "small-tow- said. "He realsy believed nobody could get him." Lanier's family gained political power in the early 1900s and were known as people who could get you a job or cost you one. David Lanier was mayor of Dyersburg. a town of 16.000 about SO miles north of Memphis, for 12 years before he was elected state Chancery Court I Associated Press Writer judge's victims say there was no way state charges would stick, with the power he and his family held in noith-- I western Tennessee. "W'v couldn't even no to the police against him. His brother was the district attorney." judge in 19X2. The Legislature removed Lanier from office alter a lederal court jury convicted him on live misdemeanor violations, each punishable by one year in prison, and two felonies, each punishable by 10 years. He got the maximum sentence. Nine women, most of them courthouse employees, testified against Lanier, say ing he repeatedly pressured them for sex. grabbed their breasts or buttocks or exposed himself. One woman, who said she went to see Lanier about child support payments lit mi her said the judge coerced her to have sex on a sleeping bag he pulled from under a desk in his office. She said Lanier told her. "I'm always prepared." Lanier said the sex was consensual, and the jury acquitted him in that instance. He was found guilty, though, of twice physically forcing to perform oral Forsy sex in his courthouse office, the felony charges against him. In (earful testimony, she said the attacks occurred when she went to ask the judge for help finding work. Lanier, the father of one of her childhood friends, had presided over Foisy divorce in 19X9. Just before the sexual attacks, she said, he reminded her that her parents wanted custody of her daughter. "Had he really wanted to take my daughter, he could have." she said from Florida where she now lives. At trial. Lanier tried to paint himself as the victim til vengeful women and political enemies. Divorced lor adultery the year before his indictment, he admitted to sexual indiscretions but denied criminal wrongdo- Pirn ffffir yffleirltiDin) That leaves more than enough to pay for a By CALVIN WOODWARD Associated Press Writer year's highway construction. WASHINGTON A balanced budget is in six years, they say. It's against fie coming grain and in defiance of modem history, but it must come, they sav. W hat shall we do when it arrives? Roll out the bargain-basemered carpel remnant? Will anyone feel its presence? As insidious as the $5 trillion-plu- s national debi is said to be. the benefits of balanced federal hooks may be hugely unseen and unfelt even as they snake through the economy if that goal is actually reached. lX'Jicit lighters agree they face a challenge convincing people of the benefits they can expect from a balanced budget because citizens will indeed feel the sting of spending cuts along the way It s always tough to sell short-terpain for . eventual gain. Lveu now. after four years of sharp deficit d reduction, budget writers are to pinpoint the positives actually achieved. Billions probably have been saved in federal interest costs and consumer and business interest rates may be a bit lower for what has been done so far. but so many variables exist that firm numbers are not available. The Congressional Budget Office, or CBO. has forecast a SI 70 billion "fiscal dividend" from a balanced budget, to be gained from now through 2002 by lower interest pay ments on the lederal debt and more taxes to the government Irom a growing economy. Wha't would $170 billion buy? A chicken in every pot ($500 million). A pot for every kitchen ($2 billion). A stove in every home to cook the bird ($40 billion i. But the qualifications around that forecast mount like the flashing numbers on the ominous National Debt Clock near New York's Times Square. In the end. the CBO say s, "it may be impossible to disentangle the etlects of balancing the budget from other forces operating at the same time in the U.S. economy." Indeed, it says, positives accrue over time "It's very difficult, especially in the short run, to show the positive impact that reducing the deficit has." Jamie Ridge, Concord Coalition hard-presse- refrigerator for the leftovers ($60 A lion A bil- I. Hiiitiioiim .Ill iiumI .il 1.: and "the major beneficiaries of a balanced budget may be future generations." "People are not going to get a check written to them from the federal treasury because we balance the federal budget." said Jamie Kidge g Concord Coalition. "It's of the very difficult, especially in the short run. to show the positive impact that reducing the deficit has." President Clinton and congressional Republicans both rate a balanced budget in six years as their priority. After an election that brought more to Congress. Republicans also believe they can muster enough votes to pass a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. They will find out in one of the first big legislative battles of the year. Amendment or not. both Republicans and Democrats are focused on 2002 as the y ear of balance but have a huge task reconciling their deficit-fightin- penny-pinche- 12-Mon- CD th J.UUAPv 1 With a CD rate this high, your money will really grow. ing. Lanier, free on bail between his conviction and sentencing, was discovered contacting and threatening the women who had testified against him. Bond was revoked and he was jailed for the two months before sentence was pronounced. Sandy Sanders, a court employee whom Lanier molested, said she hoped getting the You've earned this. high CD rate that will give you a little peace of mind. Just keep $10,000 in combined Key account balances. You'll also be A case before the Supreme Court would help convince doubling Dyersburg residents. "There will be people who still won't understand why we did what we did. but speaking out is therapy for us." she said. "We're gradually getting our lives back, but it's never going to be like it was." automatically enrolled in Key Advantage;' which entitles you to no-fe- checking? a credit card and e ' Key Advantage todav about this or Key's many other investment options. And make sure Managing DEPRESSION your nest egg is extra large. Press 6, then 1. Personal Account John Bezzant. MD, will share his personal battle with depression at a Lunch Is Lecture sponsored Dy American Fork Hospital. Or. Bezzant will also address the symptoms and treatments of depression, including a question and answer period. It you, or anyone you know, sutlers from a loss of appetite, lethargy, extended anger and sadness, you won't want to miss this informative presentation. You'll discover, you're not alone. Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1997, at noon AFH to liter ,s,w Education Room Box lunch available for $2 Call for reservations, 763-350- 5 RSI Amlrican Fork Hospital I I1C A Stmt f Inurauuniam approaches. Few doubt that getting there will require both sides to accept cuts in benefits ol the son Clinton used to bludgeon GOP challenger Bob Dole in the fall campaign. It may be hard to find sustained political will for balancing the budget. It can take year alter year of "stringent" steps to achieve small shilts in this country's massive fiscal and economic forces, the CBO warns. After all the toil and trouble, a balanced budget could allow the economy to grow "modestly" faster, perhaps an extra 0.1 percentage point, some analysts say. The nation's productive capacity might grow an extra 0.5 percent by 2002. Interest rates could drop by up to two percentage points, federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan estimates. That would make homes, cars, college, manufacturing plants and everything else bought through borrowing noticeably more affordable. But other factors affect interest rales, too. and the CBO says "caution about the likely speed of reductions ... .seems warranted." Still, consensus is developing that it's time to deal with the deficit. g So far. advocacy has been a more on the danfocused errand, doomsayer's gers of falling deeper into the sinkhole than op the adv antages of climbing out. The deficit for the fiscal year that ended last Oct. 30 was $107.3 billion, down by from the vear before and nearly below the 1992 record shortfall of $290 billion. But without agreement on further cuts, the deficit is expected to climb to $169 billion in u year and to $212 billion in 2002. Interest payments on the debt were estimated at $344.5 billion in the last fiscal year. That exceeds federal spending on education, transportation, the environment, foreign affairs, medical research and job training combined. i debt-bustin- one-thir- d two-thir- Mn. v Mjikcl ( n'lnhiiskii kibnu' ,l MO.iMV must br Kumiaiix-- in jnv unnbiiuiiun el niuliluiii: jiumiils l momhl) mtm' Juim- Ki Ath.tiiMctla 111 Ilium (.( i .1 I. il J JlUblr Willi ltll.- -- H 1.1.1 ( P ill.-tr r r.IVIll lllill Ijlrs .III' lli-- ti'I It'll L'lll ol It 111 Jllli ,k ml 1.V I", mil, Jnr. in kVi Im J ijlnalu iJilv subsi vulhuul vmiIhImujI and subci.i AHY i ilunci' iumkc Yield p. is Aniiu.il SW0 1.' I'buin jni is .kiuialc 4s IViu'iiUuis in. more. So call us A rs Mure lUttllh Out Key. For a new America: |