Afternoon Briefs: Subpoenas reportedly seek Giuliani-related information; 3 exonerated after 36 years in prison
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Subpoenas reportedly seek information related to Giuliani and his consulting firm
Federal prosecutors who are investigating two associates of lawyer Rudy Giuliani have issued subpoenas seeking documents relating to the lawyer and his consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, according to anonymous sources who spoke with multiple publications. The investigation also reportedly includes scrutiny of a pro-Trump super PAC called America First Action. The two associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, have already been charged with campaign finance violations. The indictment says the two men concealed the true source of a donation to the PAC; a PAC spokesperson says it has received no subpoenas and it is ready to cooperate. Giuliani, a lawyer for President Donald Trump, told the Wall Street Journal that he hasn’t been contacted by prosecutors, and he has done nothing wrong. (The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Reuters)
Three Maryland men are exonerated after 36 years in prison
Three Maryland men have been freed after being exonerated in the murder of a high school student who put them behind bars for 36 years. Judge Charles Peters of Baltimore said Monday the men were innocent following a review of their case by the conviction integrity unit for the state’s attorney’s office in Baltimore City. Many witnesses had identified a different shooter as the person who killed a 14-year-old youth for his Georgetown University jacket. State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby says teen witnesses in the case felt pressured to falsely identity the perpetrators as Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewart, the three men who were exonerated Monday. (The Washington Post, the New York Times)
House committee sues attorney general and commerce secretary for census documents
The House Oversight and Reform Committee sued U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Tuesday to obtain subpoenaed documents in its investigation of the administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Ross has said he added the citizenship question in response to a request from the U.S. Department of Justice for better citizenship data to assist in its enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a district court’s decision to ask for a better explanation. “Contrived reasons” should not be accepted by the courts, the Supreme Court said. Critics have said the real reason the administration wanted to add a citizenship question was to depress the count of immigrants and help Republicans when census data is used in redistricting. The administration dropped the question after the Supreme Court decision. (The New York Times, Politico, the Nov. 26 lawsuit)
LeClairRyan settles bias suit
The disbanded LeClairRyan law firm and its joint venture partner ULX Partners have settled a bias lawsuit filed by former marketing professional Marci Keatts, who was transferred to ULX Partners and leased back to the law firm. Keatts had alleged that she was paid less than a male colleague, even after she supervised him as part of a promotion. (Law360, Bloomberg Law)
