CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's highest court has blocked the
                  president's plans for a new constitution, ruling that his decree on the issue
                  was unconstitutional.

                  President Hugo Chavez, a former coup leader who took office 45 days ago,
                  decreed the referendum for April 25 for Venezuelans to vote for a
                  constituent assembly to write a new constitution. He said it was needed to
                  root out corruption.

                  But the Supreme Court ruled Thursday night that the decree was invalid
                  because the president didn't have the right to decide how the members of the
                  assembly would be chosen.

                  It wasn't immediately clear late Thursday what action the government would
                  take.

                  Chavez, a former army paratrooper who led a failed coup attempt seven
                  years ago, has previously stirred controversy by using the military to help
                  build public works and by appointing fellow coup participants to senior
                  government posts.

                  The opposition has strongly criticized his efforts to rewrite the constitution,
                  charging it shows a tendency for authoritarian control.

                  In an effort to dispel such fears, Chavez announced on March 10 that the
                  103 members of the assembly would be chosen by popular vote.