The Nation - News from Sept. 27, 1987

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a gag order on Rep. Harold E. Ford (D-Tenn.), who quickly denounced as “racist” the assistant U.S. attorney in charge of the investigation that resulted in the lawmaker’s indictment this year. Ford, who is scheduled to go on trial Nov. 9, was charged with using his political influence in exchange for loans from Tennessee banks owned by convicted financiers Jake and C. H. Butcher Jr. In the court ruling, the panel found that the order preventing Ford from discussing his case publicly was a violation of his First Amendment right to free speech.