PAULA GETS GO-AHEAD ON CLINTON SUIT; ALL 9 JUSTICES BACK RIGHT TO PURSUE CASE.

Byline: Aaron Epstein and Robert A. Rankin Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

The Supreme Court, virtually ensuring a new round of public embarrassment for President Clinton, unanimously ruled Tuesday that Paula Jones' sexual-harassment suit against him could move ahead promptly.

The justices rejected Clinton's argument that a president's job is so unique and time-consuming that he cannot be forced to defend himself against a private suit until after he has left the White House.

As a result, Clinton can be compelled to respond in court to charges that he, while governor of Arkansas, propositioned Jones and exposed his genital area to her in a Little Rock hotel suite in 1991.

Jones, then a state employee, said her bosses later punished her for rejecting Clinton's proposition. Clinton has denied Jones' charges, saying he did not recall meeting her.

Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for all nine justices, said a president is ``subject to the laws for his purely private acts,'' although immune from private damage suits for his official conduct.

The justices made no comment on the merits of the case. Because of various legal procedures, a trial would not be expected until next spring or summer, at the earliest, and in fact there is no guarantee that a trial will take place or that Clinton would take the witness stand.

Still, the possibility that Clinton could be compelled to respond in court to the charges could reopen questions about his moral character and erode his base of political support.

``He already is treading a very tenuous path, in which he has to depend on moderate Republicans to govern,'' said veteran Democratic analyst Ted Van Dyk, noting Clinton's dependence on bipartisan centrist coalitions in Congress to win budget and trade votes. ``It's one more reason for his own party to keep a little distance from him.''

Still, Van Dyk said, ``It's not necessarily disastrous news for the president.'' He added, ``If it appears to be a red herring or unfair, it'll disappear pretty fast.''

Jones' two lawyers, speaking to reporters as a bottle of celebratory champagne chilled in a bucket nearby, described Jones, 30, as ``excited'' and ``elated'' by the court decision. She lives in Long Beach with her husband and two children.

``Today the Supreme Court has reaffirmed a basic right in American democracy - a right that all Americans have, the right to be heard and that no one is above the law no matter their privilege, power or position,'' said her co-counsel, Gilbert Davis.

Joseph Cammarata, Jones' other lawyer, said it has been three years since she filed suit against Clinton and now ``his legal maneuvering, his running away from this, is over.''

The president's private lawyer, Robert S. Bennett, expressed disappointment at the Supreme Court's decision, but he declared: ``We are confident that the case ultimately will be resolved in the president's favor.''

He indicated he would file motions asking U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright of Little Rock, Ark., to dismiss Jones' case on various legal grounds.

Wright, who studied navigation law under Clinton at the University of Arkansas Law School and once campaigned against him, had deferred a trial in Jones vs. Clinton until the president left office. But her ruling, the Supreme Court said, was ``an abuse of discretion.''

The high court decision did note that federal judges owe ``high respect'' to a president and must avoid hampering him in conducting his official duties. They have the discretion to accommodate his needs by delaying pre-trial questioning, limiting its scope and deferring the trial, Stevens said.

Even so, the potential for presidential embarrassment looms large.

Jones' suit demands $700,000 from Clinton for sexual harassment, defamation and infliction of emotional distress.

She claims that an Arkansas state trooper, Danny Ferguson, escorted her to a hotel suite to meet Gov. Clinton, who ``made a series of verbal and physical sexual advances toward Ms. Jones, and undressed himself from the waist down.''

She said she was horrified, moved away from Clinton and said, ``Look, I've got to go.'' According to her suit, Clinton pulled up his pants and said, ``Let's keep this between ourselves.''

Jones said she could identify distinctive characteristics of his genital area, and Cammarata, one of her lawyers, noted that a judge has the power to compel the president to undergo a physical examination.

Another potential area of embarrassing pre-trial inquiry would delve into Clinton's pattern of sexual behavior. Cammarata said he could question Clinton and others about reports that Clinton, while governor, was ``using state troopers at state expense for his own personal enjoyment (through) the procurement of women.''

Davis, who successfully argued Jones' case in the Supreme Court, predicted that the case would go to trial next year. However, Clinton would be spared a televised trial. Federal courts bar cameras.

Many observers speculated that Clinton's lawyers would press for a settlement. Any settlement must contain ``an apology, a statement that acknowledges she was there (in the hotel suite) and her conduct was good conduct,'' Davis said.

But Bennett insisted that ``the likelihood of a settlement is most unlikely.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1 -- color) Clinton

(2 -- color) Jones