News In Brief
| Washington
US must name prosecutor in briefing-papers case
A federal judge has ordered Attorney General William French Smith to seek appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate how Jimmy Carter's briefing papers were passed to Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign.
US District Judge Harold Greene, rejecting arguments from the Justice Department, told Mr. Smith Monday he had seven days to apply to a special court for the appointment to investigate whether any high-level government official had violated criminal law.
The ruling comes three months after the Justice Department closed its books on the case without bringing any criminal prosecutions.
