Supreme Court to rule on press bans in court

The Supreme Court took up a major press case Monday in agreeing to decide whether judges can bar reporters and private citizens who want to attend jury selection in a criminal trial.

In other actions Monday, the court: agreed to decide whether federal antidiscrimination law applies to law firms that refuse to promote women attorneys to partner; without explanation, upheld a ruling condemning the Georgia legislature's first draft of a 1981 congressional redistricting plan because of racial discrimination; upheld a state's power to limit prices for natural gas already under contract before Congress began the process of deregulating natural gas prices; and said it would clarify when arson investigators need a search warrant to enter a burned building to determine the cause of the fire.