Court: Theaters must offer services for disabled | Arizona local news - Mesa, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, Chandler | eastvalleytribune.com

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Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Theater owners have to make special devices available to ensure those with hearing and vision disabilities can enjoy the movies, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

In a unanimous decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments by attorneys for the Arizona-based Harkins theater chain that nothing in federal law requires them to purchase and install the necessary equipment. The judges said the kinds of devices at issue here clearly fall within the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Montana 3rd state to allow doctor-assisted suicide - washingtonpost.com

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By MATT GOURAS

The Montana Supreme Court said Thursday that nothing in state law prevents patients from seeking physician-assisted suicide, making Montana the third state that will allow the procedure.

Patients and doctors had been waiting for the state's high court to step in after a lower court decided a year ago that constitutional rights to privacy and dignity protect the right to die.

The Montana Supreme Court opinion will now give doctors in the state the freedom to prescribe the necessary drugs to mentally competent, terminally ill patients without fear of being prosecuted, advocates said.
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California: Judge Rejects Overhaul of Department of Veterans Affairs

National Briefing West California: Judge Rejects Overhaul of Department of Veterans Affairs By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 26, 2008 A federal judge refused to order an overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care system, saying veterans groups who had sued for the changes should take their case elsewhere. The judge, Samuel Conti of Federal District Court, ruled that the lawsuit was “misdirected” and that the veterans should instead ask Congress, the head of the Veterans Administration and the federal court in Washington, D.C., to improve the system. Veterans groups had sued Veterans Affairs, alleging that its mental health care and benefits award system were flawed. A spokesman for Veterans Affairs, Phil Budahn, said the agency was “pleased” with the ruling. Gordon Erspamer, a lawyer for the veterans group, said he would appeal the decision.