The commission was established in 1987 and has sponsored the official presidential and vice presidential debates since 1988. - AP
Officials won't enforce curfew
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee officials agreed Monday to stop enforcing a new curfew used to dislodge Occupy Nashville protesters from the grounds around the Capitol. The protesters went to federal court seeking a temporary restraining order against Gov. Bill Haslam, arguing the curfew and arrests of dozens of supporters violated their rights to free speech and freedom of assembly.
State Attorney General's Office Senior Counsel Bill Marett said at the beginning of a hearing before Judge Aleta Trauger that the state would not fight efforts to halt the policy. The judge said she had already decided to grant the restraining order because the curfew was a "clear prior restraint on free speech rights."
The Nashville protesters are part of the six-week-old Occupy movement, which began in lower Manhattan to decry corporate influence in government and wealth inequality. - AP
Hearing delayed in Edwards case
PITTSBORO, N.C. - A North Carolina judge has delayed a hearing on whether a former aide to John Edwards should be held in contempt.
Andrew Young, his wife and their lawyers face jail time for providing confidential documents from a state civil case to federal officials prosecuting the two-time presidential candidate. Former Edwards mistress Rielle Hunter sued the Youngs last year to recover personal items that include a purported sex tape she recorded with Edwards as he sought the White House.
Judge Michael Morgan delayed a planned Nov. 7 hearing until January to give more time for a federal judge to decide whether to quash subpoenas from the state court. - AP
Not-guilty plea by fugitive sister
WALSENBURG, Colo. - One of three fugitive siblings accused in crimes across multiple states pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from their capture in Colorado.
Lee Grace Dougherty, 20, entered her plea Monday in Walsenburg. She and her two brothers were captured Aug. 10 after a chase and what authorities say was a shoot-out.
The Pueblo Chieftain reports that she is scheduled to go on trial Feb. 21. - AP
