Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1995)
Congressman’s defense: Sex talk was just fantasy, never real ■ TRIAL: Reyno els phone-sex conversations with a 16-year-old were never acted out, lawyers say CHICAGO (AP) With the I talk heard more often in barrooms ihan in courtrooms, lawyers debated on Monday whether U S Rep Mel Reynolds had sex with a teen-age campaign worker nr mere ly fantasized about it Prosecutors and defense lawyers offered starkly contrasting portraits of the 43-year old congressman in opening statements at his trial on sex abuse charges One side painted a picture of a sexual predator whose target was a lf>-year-old girl from a broken home The other spoke of a man whose weakness for phone sex xvns trumped up into felony charges. "What Mel Reynolds did in this case is he had phone sex." defense attorney Sam Adam declared He urged juror* (o "examine your own hearts and sav to yourself, ‘Hava I ever talked this wav to an adult friend of mine'’" Reynolds, a Democrat in his si>< ond term, is charged with criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, child pornography and obstrui lion of justice for allegedly trying to derail investigation of the case Proses ulor Andrea Zopp said Reynolds pursued campaign worker Beverly Heard, then lti. while he was running for Con gress in the summer of 1992 "She was exactly what Mel Reynolds was looking for," Zopp said “Because she was the kind of girl who would fall for his rap and his m t The heart of the proem ution case is a collection of wiretap tapes in which Reynolds and Heard, now D), discuss sexual encounters that allegedly mi urred when she was It* and 17 The tapes' importance is magnified Iwsaiuse Heard has ret .mind her act um lions against Reynolds, saying her state merits were coerced by investigators 1’roMH ntors s,i\ Reynolds orchestrated the recantation, but (art tut judge bred (. Suria |r on Monday barred pros** u tors from raising that allegation The prosecutors won .1 crut ml point when Suria ruled they may play the tapes for the jury of six blacks and six whites Defense lawyers had argued the tapes should lie barred Ixu ause Heard has denied that the ai Is dost ribed on them ever happened Reynolds, who is block, has claimed he is the target of a rai ml and political vendetta by Cook County's State s Attorney Jack O'Malley, who is white The tapes were the tore of Zopps opening statement While Reynolds' wife. Marisol. watt bed without apparent emotion. Zopp read aloud from tape transt ripts in which Reynolds dis< ussetl his and Heard's genitalia In another conversation, Reynolds and Heard dismiss m graphic detail Hoard's si*Mial relationship with her lesbian lover and Reynold* asked il Heard and her lover would lie interested in having sev with him Zopp apologized to jurors before she began recounting the conversations "It's not my language." Zopp said It’s the language that Congressman Reynolds t hose to use with Beverly Heard in his conversation As Zopp talked. Reynolds stared down at the defense table ami in i asion ally took notes Adam recounted Reynolds' rise from humble beginnings m tiny Mound Bayou, Miss . and argued that be was on trial as a result of "outrageous pressure" on Heard “The question is not whether you like him, not whether you'd yote for him hut w hether they * an prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." Adam said Woman may join Citadel, judge rules ■ DECISION: Only the Supreme Court can keep Faulkner out of the ail male military school now CHARLESTON. SC. (AP) - A federal judge c leered the way for Shannon Faulkner to join The Citadel's all-male corps of cadets, ruling Monday that there is no time to consider an alternative program designed to keep her out The only way the state-sup ported military i ollege < an pre vent her from becoming a cadet is to persuade a higher court to block her "Wo will explore all the options and that includes the Supreme Court," Citadel spokesman Terry l.eedotn said. Faulkner was happy, but she knows the fight isn't over. "Even if I don't enter the corps, some other woman will, fit‘cause I'll fight it to the end." she said The 4th l' S Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in April that she must be allowed to become a cadet unless South Carolina developed a program giving similar training to women The state i ams up with a $10 million women's leadership program a! Converse College. a private school in Spartanburg about 200 miles from The (atadel in (Charleston. U S District Judge U Weston Houck is to hold a trial on the alternative and rule on its con stitutionality. tint ho said there's no time to do that la-fore Faulkner is to become a cadet Aug i.! School rules require - she become a cadet no later than August She is entering her junior year Houck. s< heduled a trial for Nov. 6, Faulkner's lawyer, Val Vojdik, is fighting the alterna tive program and wants a three month delay to prepare for the trial. The state and The Citadel wanted a quick ruling "We were concerned the defendants were trying to jerry rig a plan held together with strings and glue and get the court to approve it.' Vojdik said Houc k said the state and The Citadel were slow in tiling details about tin- alternative program, then delayed as Faulkner's attorneys sought more information "Instead of being open and fair as they promised, it has been business as usual fur the defendants." he wrote " They have continued to make the plaintiffs dig for every pns ?• of Information they get As a result, this case is not even near Iteing in a position to try Faulkner has been taking day classes at fhe Citadel since lanuarv tl)'M under Houck’s but she has not boon allowed to take military train ing while the case has wound through the courts Virginia, which has the only other state supported, all-male military college, is creating a women's leadership program at Mary Baldwin (iollege to keep women out of the Virginia Military Institute The 4th Circuit has approved that program The fustice Department has appealed to the Supreme Tonrt The Virginia program begins in the fall, as does the Converse program Also Monday. I tulkner’s lawyers asked Houck to order I he Citadel to allow her to play the bagpl jms as a hand member if slie becomes a iidet Faulkner fias failed a flute audi tion for the hand, but the motion said the college allows men a cliam e to learn bagpipe even if they do not play when they enroll ‘Motor voter’ law upheld after California challenge ■ RULING: f ederal court says law is within Congress’ power to regulate elections SAN FRANCISCO (Al*| Rejecting Cov Pete Wilson's i hallenge, a federal appeals court today uphold thu fmier ul "motor votur" lavs, which lots poop In register to vole when they apply for drivers' lit enses or welfare The law was within Con gress' constitutional power to regulate federal elm lions, said the ttlh C S Circuit Court of Appeals in a 10 ruling The law, supporter! largely by Heims rats, took tiffts t this vear but was resisted by VV'il sou and four other Kepublu an governors, who refused to implement it The governors of Illinois Michigan, Penn sylvania and South Carolina (tuned Wilson in arguing that the law violated states' rights and would he costly Hv requiring states to create federal voter registration agencies" out of slate agencies. Congress reached into "the heart of slate sovereignty, ('.illitorni.i Deputy Attorney Ceneral Cyrus Kn Wards told tin* court last month But the court said the Con stitution gi\es (iongress broad power to regulate federal elet lions, even if states must hear the i ost "Congress may conscript state agencies to carry out vot er registration without i otn pensation" for federal alfM lions, the i iiurst ruled 1 he (ustii e Department says 2 million new voters have n»g tstered nationwide since tile law took effect, a sharp im reuse over the same period last year The law has been upheld so fiir by every court that i on sidered it, including a federal appeals court last month m Chit ago Pennsylvania dropped its challenge after ios mg its first court contest 1 k>< i sums are pending in Michigan and South Carolina l lte law was defended ill court by the Clinton athnims trillion and a coalition ol minority groups and voting rights advocates AUGU1V IS 20. I99S Entertainment twry atgfct w aw timrt Oft Patriotic Pops The (ugpnt tyrtphonf fcrftymj <V tv«rw>g C# Patriotic JSA^ycji*<*r TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 *30 PM Diamond Rio WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16 A JO PM ‘Weird AT Yankovic XT./VKJ <t »e At(or;X«' THURSDAY, AUGUST 17 6 JO PM To Be Announced FRIDAY, AUGUST IS A JO PM Pam Tlllis SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 4:00 A 7:30 PM Alvtn & The Chipmunks M SUNDAY, AUGUST 20 4:00 PM A» Ac ft Subject to Schedule Chows or Concelattare • No Refunds ON * Microcomputer Support Center 202 Computing Center • 346-4402 • Monday-Friday 9am 5pm • e mail mpp^oregon • http mpp uoregon «k)u
