95.1 The Bee

On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a code of conduct signed by all nine justices which lays out formal rules, this coming after months of intense scrutiny of the court’s ethics practices.

The new code of conduct includes five canons that the justices should adhere to, including by upholding the “integrity and independence of the judiciary” and avoiding “impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities.” In a statement announcing the new code, the justices said the document was intended to “set out succinctly and gather in one place the ethics rules and principles that guide the conduct of the members of the court,” acknowledging that the lack of a formal code of ethics has created a “misunderstanding that the justices of this court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules … To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”

The code of conduct lists circumstances in which a justice should disqualify him or herself in a proceeding, namely when their impartiality “might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.” It also states that while a justice may engage in activities outside of the court, they should refrain from those “that detract from the dignity of the justice’s office, interfere with the performance of the justice’s official duties, reflect adversely on the justice’s impartiality, lead to frequent disqualification, or violate” specified limitations.

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Four people were stabbed Monday morning on the campus of Louisiana Tech University in the north Louisiana city of Ruston. The victims were stabbed as they were leaving the Lambright Sports and Wellness Center on Tech’s Ruston, Louisiana, campus.

Police learned of the stabbings at 9:08 a.m. and had the suspect in custody four minutes later. The university issued a statement saying campus police caught a suspect — 23-year-old student Jacoby Johnson – who was taken into custody after the attack outside the Lambright Sports and Wellness Center. The suspect was being treated at Northern Louisiana Medical Center for injuries received during the initial incident, according to the school.

The school said in a statement: “This appears to be a random act of violence …The suspect then fled south toward main campus and was apprehended by campus police without incident.” Ruston Police Chief Randall Hermes told the Ruston Daily Leader: “It sounds like he ran up behind them and surprised them.” 

Of the four victims, one was a graduate student reported in serious but stable condition and flown to nearby Shreveport, Louisiana, two were taken to a local hospital in Ruston, and the other refused treatment. One victim was in critical condition at Northern Louisiana Medical Center shortly before noon local time. Two others were in serious, but stable condition, according to the university. The remaining three victims were not students.

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U.S. officials said Sunday that five U.S. servicepeople were killed when a military helicopter crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea during a training mission. All five crew members on board were killed when the aircraft went down “during a routine air refueling mission as part of military training,” according to the military’s European Command. It wasn’t immediately clear which military service the aircraft belonged to.

The military said that the cause is under investigation, but there are no indications of any hostile activity involved. It said on Sunday that “search and rescue efforts began immediately, including nearby U.S. military aircraft and ships.” European Command said that out of respect for the families of the service members and in line with Department of Defense policy, the identities of the crew members are being withheld for 24 hours until the families of those killed have been notified.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement: “we mourn the tragic loss of five U.S. service members during a training accident in the Mediterranean Sea early Saturday morning. While we continue to gather more information about this deadly crash, it is another stark reminder that the brave men and women who defend our great nation put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our country safe.”

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