Demoralized by corruption and virtually paralyzed by fear, Colombia's courts have signaled their unwillingness to continue fighting this country's powerful drug barons.

By overturning the ruling, the entire court strongly signaled its inclination to uphold the old policy.

California's courts and legislature have signaled that they generally value an employee's mobility and entrepreneurship more highly than they do protectionist doctrine.

This court has signaled very clearly that it wanted to move in particular directions.

But lawyers who brought the case against the state contended that the court was signaling that it was so concerned about privacy issues that it might not uphold the law.

In doing so, the court signaled its willingness to reconsider the 1986 case of Bowers v. Hardwick, which held that the constitutional right of privacy does not protect such conduct.

That the highest court in the land has now signalled a willingness to consider the merits of arguments made by those opposed to the deal is good for capitalism - not to mention democracy.

With Doe the court "signaled the doom of legislative efforts to provide even modest protection of unborn life," she writes.

But the court has signaled the importance of the case by having all 12 members of the court consider it, departing from the customary practice of using three-member panels to weigh appeals.

"Not only does it freeze the regulation," Mr. Spitzer said of the ruling, "but the court has also signaled that it may throw out the entire regulation after further review."