U.S. Constitution

OGDEN — The Ogden Trece injunction either preserves the American way of life or eats away at its foundations, lawyers said as the trial of the experimental crime-fighting tool closed Thursday.

“There is no First Amendment protection provided for groups whose sole purpose is criminal activity,” Weber County Attorney Dee Smith said in closing arguments.

An approach in common use in California but not in other states, the injunction is the first attempted in Utah. It bans Ogden Trece gang members from associating with each other in public, being in the vicinity of guns, drugs and alcohol, and from being out past 11 p.m.

OGDEN — Doug Lovell would like one hand free for the coming hearings on his bid to avoid the death penalty.

In a motion asking that “defendant be unshackled during extended hearings,” his public defenders argue Lovell’s right to “effective assistance of counsel” includes the client’s ability to take notes during hearings to communicate with counsel.

OGDEN — The public is invited to learn more about the Constitution from award-winning author and teacher Margaret Rostkowski.

SALT LAKE CITY — Legislators will learn from the mistakes of others before taking on the federal government over control of federal lands within the state, several local lawmakers say about current efforts to address the issue.

SALT LAKE CITY — One expert on the legal right of the state to control land within its own borders says a potential court challenge by state lawmakers to federal land holdings in Utah comes down to a simple concept: control.

“He who controls the sod, controls the people,” Bill Redd said of a potential showdown over the 67 percent of the Beehive State owned by the federal government. Redd, a former San Juan County commissioner, said he has experienced firsthand the negative side of federal land control.

There are four bills now in front of the Utah House of Representatives that form the basis of a legal challenge to the federal government’s right to control approximately two-thirds of the land in the state. The bills invoke promises dating back to when Utah gained statehood in 1896.

OGDEN — Weber State University will host a talk, “Weber Reads: Slavery and the Constitution,” at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Stewart Library Hetzel-Hoellein Room.

This free presentation will feature Adrienne Gillespie, WSU’s Center for Diversity & Unity coordinator.

Call 801-626-7613 for information.

Weber State is at 3848 Harrison Blvd.