Top court to assess fears as grounds for A-closure
| Washington
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to tackle a crucial question raised by the Three Mile Island nuclear accident - whether people's fears must be weighed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before permitting a nuclear plant to operate.
The high court's announcement coincided with release of a safety study for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that says a core meltdown at a nuclear power plant in a major population area could kill more than 100,000 people.
Other cases the court agreed to decide concern: discrimination in firing workers; use of tax money to pay a state legislature's chaplain and to print prayer books; the rights of suspected criminals during police interrogations; the right of servicemen to sue their officers for money damages for alleged violations of constitutional rights; and illegitimate children's right to receive social security benefits.
