In the Nation

MASSACHUSETTS

Murder convict seeks

sex-change surgery

Lawyers for a transgender inmate in Boston convicted of murder asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to overturn a ruling denying her request for sex-reassignment surgery.

A federal judge ordered the Massachusetts Department of Correction to grant the surgery to Michelle Kosilek in 2012, finding that it was the "only adequate treatment" for Kosilek's severe gender dysphoria, also known as gender-identity disorder.

That ruling was overturned in December by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Lawyers with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders said they asked the Supreme Court to grant a hearing or reverse the ruling. They argue that the appeals court did not find "clear error" in the judge's ruling granting the surgery and therefore had no legal basis to overturn it.

Kosilek, born Robert Kosilek, is serving life for killing spouse Cheryl McCaul in 1990. - AP
SOUTH CAROLINA

College president out

South Carolina State University trustees have voted to fire the school's suspended president, as the trustees themselves may soon be fired amid ongoing financial and accreditation problems at the historically black school. Trustees on Monday voted, 6-1 with three abstentions, to terminate Thomas Elzey's contract, which has more than two years remaining. They gave no reason. - AP

KENTUCKY

Ark changes course

There's a new wrinkle in a lawsuit brought by the creators of a Noah's Ark theme park against the state of Kentucky. Answers in Genesis sued state officials last month over a lost $18 million tax incentive from the state tourism department. The state had given preapproval for the incentive but in December rejected the Christian group's application, saying the mission of the park had changed from tourist attraction to ministry. A lawyer for Answers in Genesis now says the group should be treated the same as a nonreligious applicant. - AP