WASHINGTON
Justices hear immigrant case
A seemingly divided Supreme Court tried to figure out Wednesday whether the government can detain immigrants indefinitely without providing hearings. The justices heard argument in a class-action lawsuit brought by immigrants who’ve spent long periods in custody, including many who are legal residents of the United States or are seeking asylum. The issue for the court is whether people the government has detained while it is considering deporting them can make their case to a judge that they should be released. The case pits the Obama administration against immigration advocates.
SAN FRANCISCO
Abducted woman branded
A California woman abducted while jogging was branded by two female captors who kept their faces covered during the three weeks they held her, a sheriff said Wednesday in seeking the public’s help to solve a crime that has riveted and unnerved the community. The Spanish-speaking suspects also kept the head of 34-year-old victim Sherri Papini covered at times, limiting her ability to provide descriptions so authorities could draw sketches, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said at a news conference.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Officer cleared in shooting
A prosecutor on Wednesday cleared a Charlotte police officer in the killing of a black man whose death touched off civil unrest, and he presented detailed evidence to rebut assertions that the slain man was unarmed. Officer Brentley Vinson was justified in opening fire on Keith Scott and won’t face charges, Charlotte-Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray said. In a 40-minute presentation, Murray produced evidence that Scott was armed with a handgun and the officer who killed him feared Scott would shoot. Nearly 100 protesters marched around downtown on Wednesday night. Four people were arrested.
NEW YORK
Tree lights up Manhattan
Thousands of rain-drenched revelers gathered in midtown Manhattan to watch the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio flipped the switch Wednesday night, illuminating the 94-foot tall, 14-ton Norway spruce with 50,000 multicolored lights. The 84th annual ceremony was televised by NBC and included performances by Neil Diamond, Sarah McLachlan and the Radio City Rockettes.
Compiled from wire reports