A Host of Rulings From Supreme Court Justices

In other rulings Thursday, the Supreme Court said:

The Census Bureau may estimate the size of some households, a small statistical adjustment that added 1.1 million people to the nation’s total. It also tipped the last seat in the House of Representatives to North Carolina at the expense of Utah. The justices rejected Utah’s challenge (Utah vs. Evans, 01-714).

Students cannot sue schools or colleges under a federal educational privacy law. By a 7-2 vote, the court said Congress did not intend to authorize lawsuits (Gonzaga vs. Doe, 01-679).

Cities can require tow truck operators to obtain a permit and abide by safety rules. Several federal courts, including one in California, said tow trucks are like interstate trucks and are off-limits to local regulations. But the justices rejected that idea and upheld the local laws (City of Columbus vs. OursGarage and Wrecker Service, 01-149).

Jennifer Harbury, a human rights activist, cannot sue Clinton administration officials, including former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, on the claim that they lied about the whereabouts of her Guatemalan rebel husband, who was executed. The court said administration officials did not prevent her from going to court, but in any event, a judge could not have saved her husband (Harbury vs. Christopher, 01-394).