SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK

District court can hear some fed complaints WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court says some discrimination complaints from federal workers can go to federal district court, instead of being forced into the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The justices on Monday ruled unanimously that some appeals from the Merit Systems Protection Board can go before U.S. district judges if they involve discrimination claims dismissed for procedural reasons. Carolyn M. Kloeckner was fired from the Labor Department in 2005 after complaining of sex and age discrimination and a hostile work environment, as well as being declared "absent without leave." The Merit Systems board dismissed her claims as untimely, and she tried to appeal to district court. But the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said her appeal could only be heard by the D.C.-based Federal Circuit. Justices reversed that decision. Justices won't reinstate award against Hustler WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court won't reinstate an award against a racy magazine in a dispute over nude pictures of a model published after she was killed by her professional wrestler husband. The court turned away a request by the family of Nancy Toffoloni Benoit to reinstate a jury's decision to make Hustler Magazine pay them almost $20 million. The magazine published the photos after she and her son were killed in 2007 by wrestler Chris Benoit. Benoit's family said Nancy never gave permission to publish the 24-year-old photos, while the magazine said it could print them because they were newsworthy. The jury's 2011 decision to penalize the magazine $19.6 million was later reduced to $250,000. The award was then thrown out by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Published: Wed, Dec 12, 2012