NATION IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Ruling Sought in Kennedy Rape Case

A prosecutor in Palm Beach sought a court ruling on whether he can prosecute news organizations that have identified a woman who says she was raped by a Kennedy family member. Palm Beach County State Atty. David Bludworth also said he expects three more weeks of investigation before making a decision on whether to charge William Kennedy Smith, nephew of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). After publication of the 29-year-old woman’s name and photo in a Boca Raton-based supermarket tabloid, NBC News broadcast her name Tuesday. Her name then was published Wednesday in the New York Times and some other newspapers--but not in any southern Florida daily. Violators of a Florida statute barring identification of a sex-crime victim are guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a 60-day jail sentence and a $500 fine.