John Hinckley Gets More Freedom
Headline Legal News
The man who tried to kill President Ronald Reagan is now allowed to visit his mother more, to get a driver's license and spend more time away from the mental hospital where he lives, a federal judge ruled.
John Hinckley shot President Reagan and wounded three others because of an obsession with actress Jodie Foster.
The ruling, released Tuesday, expands the freedoms of John Hinckley Jr. over the objections of prosecutors. They argued that Hinckley is still mentally ill and harbors unhealthy feelings about women.
Hinckley, 54, has been confined to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington since he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1981 shooting of Reagan.
Hinckley shot Reagan and wounded three others reportedly because of an obsession with actress Jodie Foster.
Gradually, Hinckley has been allowed more freedom as he has progressed in therapy.
Recently, family members and hospital officials requested that he be allowed to visit his mother's home in Williamsburg, Virginia, for nine nights instead of the six he was allowed; to get a driver's license; and to do volunteer work, according to court documents. There also was a request for Hinckley to have more unsupervised time away from the hospital.
Prosecutors objected to many of the requests, saying that Hinckley "continues to maintain inappropriate thoughts of violence," court documents said
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Processing Change for Certain Form I-730 Petitions
USCIS changed the processing location for certain Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, filings. Previously the Service Center Operations Directorate processed these filings. Now, the International Adjudications Support Branch (IASB) in the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate will process the petitions filed by individuals who were admitted to the United States as refugees. Petitioners and/or accredited representatives who file refugee-based Form I-730 petitions will receive further instructions when IASB receives their filings. Form I-730 petitions filed by persons granted asylum will not be affected by this change. The mailing instructions for Form I-730 remain the same. Petitioners should continue to follow the Where to File directions on the Form I-730 page. This policy update is consistent with the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Standard Occupational Classification system. DOL defines economists as people who conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy. Economists may collect and process economic and statistical data using sampling techniques and econometric methods.