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LOUISIANA

Judge throws out gay-marriage ban BATON ROUGE - A state judge Tuesday threw out a Louisiana constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, less than three weeks after it was overwhelmingly approved by the voters.

District Judge William Morvant said the amendment was flawed as drawn up by the Legislature because it had more than one purpose: banning not only gay marriage but also civil unions.

Michael Johnson, an attorney for supporters of the amendment, said he will appeal the ruling.

The gay rights group Forum for Equality had challenged the amendment on several grounds, including that combining the question of gay marriage and the issue of civil unions in one ballot question violated state law.

The courts had rejected a similar argument before the Sept. 18 election, saying it was premature.

TEXAS

Evidence questions don't spare killer from death

HUNTSVILLE - Condemned killer Edward Green III was put to death Tuesday night by injection despite his attorneys' pleas to halt the execution because of problems at the Houston police crime lab.

The U.S. Supreme Court and Texas' high court declined to block Green's execution, and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles twice refused clemency requests.

Two state senators and the Houston police chief wanted executions stopped for all Harris County cases until authorities can review 280 recently discovered boxes of evidence that was mislabeled by crime lab personnel and improperly stored.

COLORADO

A.F. cadets improve

attitude on women

AIR FORCE ACADEMY - A year after a sexual assault scandal at the Air Force Academy prompted a leadership shake-up and widespread reforms, cadets have become more accepting of women, a survey shows.

The annual survey of cadet attitudes found that 84 percent of cadets believe women belong at the academy, up from 78 percent last year.

The survey also showed 33 percent of female cadets now say they are willing to report sexual assault, up from 22 percent last year.

Dozens of female cadets alleged last year that they were sexually assaulted at the academy and then were punished, ignored or ostracized by commanders. An investigation determined that 142 sexual assaults had been reported from 1993 to 2003.

The academy's top leaders were replaced and new policies were imposed.

More than 3,500 of the academy's 4,000 cadets completed the survey, taken in August and released Monday.