June 28, 1997

Bitterly divided US Supreme Court rules, 5-4, that Brady gun control law violates 'the very principle of separate state sovereignty' by requiring state officials to conduct background checks of prospective handgun purchasers; decision, invalidating background-check provision of 1993 law, provides strongest evidence yet of ascension of state power at Supreme Court, and marks third time in as many days that Court overturns a major Federal statute; Justice Antonin Scalia writes majority opinion and Justice John Paul Stevens the principal dissenting opinion; photo of court members, showing who voted in majority and who in minority in Brady case (L)

Senate votes overwhelmingly to cut Federal taxes substantially for first time since 1981, as many Democrats support bill and Pres Clinton expresses optimism about reaching bipartisan compromise on final legislation; Clinton, although he has managed to set some limits on scope of cuts, has long since given into fundamental Republican demand for reductions in taxes for investors and middle-class families; Senate, like House, votes to give many families a $500-per-child tax credit and to reduce inheritance and estate taxes, all centerpieces of Republican agenda (M)

New York State education officials are drawing up plans to abolish system of lifetime licenses for public school teachers and to crack down on university training programs in which large percentage of prospective teachers are failing state certification; State Education Comr Richard P Mills and Regents Task Force on Teaching, which was empaneled 18 months ago to strengthen way teachers are prepared and licensed, say proposals would improve teaching in New York public schools; but critics, including teachers' union officials, say any recertification requirement would worsen already dire shortage of qualified teachers, particularly in lowest-performing schools in New York City (M)

Lawmakers in Congress who support gun control calls Supreme Court decision to strike down Brady law a minor setback and say they will consider drafting legislation to require gun dealers to request criminal background checks on handgun buyers; but they also emphasize that for several reasons, ruling would not necessarily lead to drastic changes (M)

In concluding its term, the Supreme Court yesterday agreed to decide whether a school district in Piscataway Township, N.J., violated the civil rights of a white high school teacher when it dismissed her in 1989 to preserve the job of a black teacher with equal seniority.