SUPREME COURT Other rulings

In decisions Monday, justices:
By a 6-3 vote, said Vermont's limits on contributions and spending in political campaigns are too restrictive and improperly hinder the ability of candidates to raise money and speak to voters.
Ruled 5-4 that Kansas' death penalty law does not violate the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Decided by a 7-2 vote that prosecutors' failure to submit to a jury a factor used in sentencing is not grounds for automatic reversals of convictions.
Refused to decide whether the granddaughter of A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, can recapture control of the copyright for stories featuring the popular children's character.
By a 6-3 vote, said parents cannot collect fees for experts they use while prevailing in lawsuits seeking to force public school districts to pay for the private education of their disabled children.
Ruled 5-4 that defendants are automatically entitled to a new trial if their choice of a privately retained defense lawyer is wrongly blocked.
Source: Associated Press