News In Brief

High court stays action on libel-suit jail term

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens gave temporary help Tuesday to a St. Louis newspaper editorial writer who faces a jail stay in Illinois for not disclosing who gave him information for an editorial that prompted a libel lawsuit.

Stevens ordered, in effect, that no action be taken against Richard Hargraves , an editorial writer for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, until Stevens has more time to study the case. Justice Stevens called for a response by Monday from the lawyer seeking to have Mr. Hargraves jailed.