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A28 u.s news
Diabierna 12 augustus 2022

Breyer, Gorsuch join to promote education about Constitution

tice Ketanji Brown Jackson, of all those cases and Breyer, tic about the American legal
the high court’s first Black in dissent. system.
woman.
Challenges to affirmative ac- In a statement, he said, “The
Breyer has been a constant tion in education and key nonpartisan work of the Na-
voice for seeing the court as election-related cases high- tional Constitution Center is
something other than “poli- light the term that begins in essential, and I look forward
ticians in robes” even as the October and seem likely to to working with Justice Gor-
court has issued a string of produce more sharp splits such to promote civil dia-
conservative-driven deci- along ideological lines. logue and debate.”
sions topped by eliminat-
ing the constitutional right “Despite the strong disagree- Breyer also will return to
(AP) — Recently retired Thursday that Breyer and to abortion and overturning ments on the court, Justices teaching at Harvard Law
Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch, who has served Roe v. Wade. Breyer and Gorsuch, like all School.
Stephen Breyer has be- since 2019, will be spokes- their colleagues, unite around
come the honorary co- men for civics education and In recent months, the court a shared belief that civics are Past center chairmen have
chairman of a nonpartisan civility in politics. with six Republican-appoint- necessary for the future of included President Joe
group devoted to educa- ed conservatives and three the republic,” Rosen said. Biden, who resigned when
tion about the Constitu- The justices’ decision to work liberals appointed by Demo- he launched his presidential
tion, joining Justice Neil together “is especially mean- crats also has expanded gun Recent public opinions sur- campaign in 2019, and for-
Gorsuch at a time of in- ingful in this polarized time,” rights, weakened the separa- veys have shown a sharp drop mer Presidents Bill Clinton
tense political polariza- Jeffrey Rosen, the center’s tion of church and state and in approval of the court and and George H.W. Bush.
tion and rising skepticism president and CEO, said. constrained the Biden ad- its role as an institution that is
about the court’s indepen- ministration’s efforts to com- above the political fray. The center’s home in Phila-
dence. The 84-year-old Breyer re- bat climate change and the delphia is near the Liberty
tired at the end of June after coronavirus pandemic. Still, Breyer said last week at Bell and Independence Hall,
The National Constitution nearly 28 years as a justice. a lawyers’ convention in Chi- where the Constitution was
Center in Philadelphia said His seat was taken by Jus- Gorsuch was in the majority cago that he remains optimis- drafted.

Cause sought for Indiana house explosion that killed 3

(AP) — Authorities It was the second house ex-
worked Thursday to de- plosion in the area in just over The highest death count in
termine the cause of five years. A June 27, 2017, a single accident during that
a house explosion in a explosion killed two people time was in 2014, when an
southern Indiana neigh- and injured three others. explosion and fire destroyed
borhood that killed three two buildings in New York
people and left another Wednesday’s explosion also City’s Harlem, according to
person hospitalized. brought to mind a massive the agency’s records. Eight
blast in 2012 that destroyed people died and 48 more
The explosion Wednesday or damaged more than 80 were injured. The National
afternoon in Evansville dam- homes in Indianapolis and Transportation Safety Board
aged 39 homes. Crews on killed two people. A man later attributed the explosion
Thursday completed a sec- was convicted of tampering to a defective joint that al-
ondary search of buildings with a natural gas line at his lowed natural gas to leak into
that were left unstable by the then-girlfriend’s home in an the building, worsened by a
explosion and no more vic- attempt to commit insurance sewer line breach that caused
tims were found, Fire Chief fraud. the gas line to sag.
Mike Connelly told report-
ers. Firearms and Explosives, to help them. Most places According the U.S. Depart- The public database reviewed
spokeswoman, said the agen- aren’t used to seeing a scene ment of Transportation’s by The Associated Press on
“It’s a huge relief, for every- cy can’t speak to any pos- of this size.” Pipeline and Hazardous Thursday did not include the
body,” the chief said of the re- sible causes of the explosion. Materials Safety Adminis- 2017 explosion in Evansville
sults of the secondary search. Dabkowski said the ATF has Evansville authorities have tration’s public database on that killed two people. Mes-
explosive specialists and fire- declined to speculate whether accident reports involving sages for agency representa-
Eleven of the damaged arms investigators on-site in natural gas or another issue is gas distribution systems, at tives seeking information
homes were uninhabitable Evansville who were helping responsible for the explosion. least 40 such accidents have about why that explosion was
and will have to be demol- with the investigation. caused 59 fatalities since 2010 not included were not imme-
ished, Connelly said, and Evansville is along Indiana’s on private property, includ- diately returned.
finding a cause is expected to The ATF’s involvement does border with Kentucky. The ing homes.
be a “very tedious process — not mean there is an inten- blast left debris that includ-
and lengthy.” tional or illegal act behind ed wooden boards, window
them, she added. Typically, glass and insulation strewn
The Vanderburgh County the agency gets involved in over a 100-foot (30-meter)
Coroner’s Office identi- local cases when its help is radius.
fied the victims as a married requested or if there is some
couple, 43-year-old Charles federal connection, Dab- CenterPoint Energy, the lo-
Hite and 37-year-old Mar- kowski said. cal gas utility, was last called
tina Hite, and 29-year-old to the home in January 2018,
neighbor Jessica Teague. The “When we come to these according to Connelly.
cause and manner of their types of events we’ve either
deaths have not yet been de- been asked in by the local fire The utility said it was work-
termined, the office said. officials or the state fire mar- ing with fire officials and
shal for our agents who have other agencies as the investi-
Suzanne Dabkowski, a Bu- had additional training,” she gation continues.
reau of Alcohol, Tobacco, said. “We can be extra hands