Health care, for example, is something she came to care about through her 76-year-old mother, Margaret Carlson Aitcheson, who has had recurring bouts of depression and lives in the Gores' pool house at the vice-presidential residence.

On Sunday, he invited Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, an old friend, to lunch at the Naval Observatory, the vice-presidential residence.

"If you're vice president, we'll have to move into the vice-presidential residence, won't we?"

According to figures from the Navy, which maintains the 33-room vice-presidential residence at the Washington Naval Observatory, the Cheneys have cut overall electricity use since they moved in last March.

Mr. Gore has been questioned five times under oath, most recently in a four-hour interview on April 18 at the vice-presidential residence.

The Gores had already vacated the official vice-presidential residence, the Naval Observatory, their home for the last eight years.

Last month, Mr. Gore also had a private dinner with Governor Ventura and his wife at the vice-presidential residence.

Curtis' search for status revived the issue of an official vice-presidential residence.

Mr. Gore, in Washington, spent his day privately with his family at the vice-presidential residence there.

By the time the ruling came, at 10:00 p.m., Mr. Gore was at his vice-presidential residence alone with his family.