31.   The decision ended a protracted struggle within the campaign over how much money and time to devote to a state that seemed to belong solidly to President Clinton.

32.   The decision ended months of partisan bickering over the election.

33.   The decision ends a series of legal setbacks for Robotic and gives the company another chance to block View Engineering from selling its in-tray semiconductor measurement systems.

34.   The decision ends months of negotiating between the National Hockey League team and the state on plans to build a new arena.

35.   The decision ends one full year of legal sparring since Skakel surrendered to Greenwich police after his indictment by a single-judge grand jury.

36.   The decision Friday ends a mandatory eight-year program by the South Coast Air Quality Management District that irritated companies because of its expense and time-consuming paperwork.

37.   The decision Tuesday ends five years of litigation over competing systems for keeping track of inventory in dry cleaning stores.

38.   To break out from it would mean a firm decision to end British isolation and to make common cause with Europe.

39.   While the decision ended one aspect of the still divisive Diallo case, it also released the brakes on several related matters.