The Nation - News from Oct. 19, 1988

A federal appeals court in Washington has thrown out a lawsuit brought by Rep. Mike Lowry (D-Wash.) and 109 other Democratic congressmen charging President Reagan with violations of the War Powers Resolution. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled unanimously that a cease-fire in the Iraq-Iran War precluded its consideration of the lawmakers’ claims. The case arose in 1987 over the Reagan Administration Persian Gulf policy. The Democrats filed a lawsuit charging that the use of U.S. troops to escort re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers defied the War Powers Resolution, which requires that Congress be notified within 48 hours of the sending of U.S. troops to an area of actual or imminent hostilities.