NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : North Apparently Fighting Subpoena

Oliver L. North appeared in federal court in Washington, apparently to challenge a subpoena for his appearance before a federal grand jury looking into the Iran-Contra affair. North, his lawyers and Iran-Contra prosecutors attended a closed-door session before U.S. District Court Judge Aubrey E. Robinson Jr. while the grand jury met on another floor. After a hearing that lasted more than half an hour, North and his lawyers emerged from Robinson’s courtroom, bypassed the grand jury room and left the courthouse. North’s lawyer and Iran-Contra prosecutors declined any comment.