US judge denies gag order in rape-slaying case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A federal judge rejected a gag order that could have kept lawyers and even President George W. Bush from publicly discussing the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the slaying of her relatives. U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell said there is "no reason to believe" that a former soldier's right to a fair trial would be jeopardy. In a ruling Thursday, Russell also ordered former Pte. Steven Green, 21, to be arraigned Nov. 8 in federal court in Louisville. Investigators say Green and four other soldiers from the Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division plotted to rape the girl in the village of Mahmoudiya. Green is accused of being the triggerman in the shooting of three family members in a room of the girl's house before she was raped and killed.

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