Supreme Court Leaves Ban on Begging Intact

THE United States Supreme Court on Nov. 26 left intact a ban on poor and homeless people begging for money in New York City's subways. The justices, without comment, refused to hear arguments that the ban on ``begging and panhandling'' throughout the subway system violates free-speech rights.

A federal judge had ruled that the ban was unconstitutional but a federal appeals court reinstated the ban by a 2-to-1 vote last May.

In other matters on Nov. 26 the high court:

Said it will decide whether states may force judges to retire at 70 if those states impose no such requirement on virtually all other employees in desk jobs.

Revived a long legal battle from Maryland in which animal-rights groups are seeking to save four monkeys used for medical research. The court said it will decide whether a lawsuit against a federal agency, already thrown out of federal court, should return to a state court.

Agreed to decide in a Wisconsin case whether divorced people awarded ownership of the family home may use federal bankruptcy law to avoid a divorce court's order to pay their ex-spouses one-half of the home's value.

Refused to kill two fair-housing lawsuits that stem from newspaper real estate advertisements showing only white models posing as homeowners.

Now, developers of a Virginia condominium community must defend themselves in a jury trial against allegations they violated a federal anti-bias law.

Rejected the appeal of Richard B. Kelly, the former Florida congressman who served 13 months in prison for his 1981 bribery conviction in the FBI's Abscam undercover sting operation.

Agreed to decide in a Michigan case how far states can go to shield victims of sexual assaults from unfair treatment without violating defendants' fair-trial rights.

Refused to kill an affirmative action program in Hillsborough County, Fla., aimed at awarding more public-works contracts to businesses run by minorities and women. A lawsuit filed by white men who say they are victims of reverse discrimination is pending before a federal judge.

Refused to revive a New York parental-rights law that barred many men from challenging the adoptions of their illegitimate children.