Attorney General

New York Times Sues Justice Department for Legal Memo Approving Targeted Killing

The New York Times claims in a lawsuit that the U.S. Justice Department has failed to provide records on the legality of targeted killing as required by the Freedom of Information Act. The suit seeks a secret memo authorizing the targeted killing of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, according to the…

Dec 22, 2011 3:20 PM CST

Death Is a Growth Industry for Hospices; Lawsuits Detail Incentives for Referrals

Hospice care has become a $14 billion industry that is profiting in part because of financial arrangements and gifts that encourage referrals. Bloomberg Business examined court records and interviewed more than 45 hospice employees, patients and family members to detail the financial incentives that are helping make hospice care a…

Dec 19, 2011 4:22 PM CST

Obama to Sign Bill Authorizing Indefinite Detention; Holder Stayed on the Sidelines

President Obama has indicated he will sign a bill that allows indefinite detention of terrorism suspects and gives prosecution authority to the military. Obama had threatened to veto the bill, but changed his mind after amendments addressed his concerns, the New York Times reports. Attorney General Eric Holder “took an…

Dec 16, 2011 3:43 PM CST

Holder to Testify on ‘Inexcusable’ Gun-Running in Fast and Furious Hearing

Attorney General Eric Holder is set to testify in a congressional hearing today that it was “inexcusable” for federal law enforcement agencies to allow guns to cross the border as part of a gun-trafficking investigation called Operation Fast and Furious. Politico obtained Holder’s prepared remarks. “As I have repeatedly stated,…

Dec 8, 2011 2:17 PM CST

Former SG Drew Days to Retire from Law Firm Where He Worked for 14 Years

Former Solicitor General Drew Days is retiring from Morrison & Foerster, the law firm where he worked for 14 years. Days had an of counsel position at the firm, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. Asked why he is leaving, Days gave the blog two reasons. “They…

Dec 6, 2011 2:30 PM CST

Swiss Drug Maker Wants No Part of Nebraska’s Lethal Injection Regime

A Swiss drug company has asked Nebraska officials to return a drug it made that the state plans to use for the execution of death row inmates. The CEO of Naari says the company did not supply the drug to the state and would never support its use in a…

Nov 30, 2011 8:09 PM CST

Attorney General Reportedly Nixes DOJ Holiday Party, One of the Government’s ‘Primo Bashes’

Attorney General Eric Holder is reportedly keeping his eye on the bottom line by canceling the Justice Department’s holiday party. The Washington Post says it learned Holder has nixed the annual party, once one of the “primo bashes” held by federal agencies. In the past, hundreds of officials, including some…

Nov 23, 2011 1:57 PM CST

Longest Serving U.S. Prosecutor Dies at 89, a Year After His Retirement

Correction: A Justice Department lawyer who was the longest-serving federal prosecutor in U.S. history has died at the age of 89. John “Jack” Keeney retired last year after working for the Justice Department for 59 years, the Washington Post reports. Keeney worked on organized crime cases under Attorney General Robert…

Nov 22, 2011 4:57 PM CST

DOJ Investigates Ex-CIA General Counsel Rizzo for Drone Disclosures in Newsweek

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating former CIA acting general counsel John Rizzo because of disclosures he made about the agency’s drone program to Newsweek magazine. Rizzo, who retired from the CIA in 2009, gave an on-the-record interview to Newsweek for a February story about how the CIA picks human…

Nov 11, 2011 1:20 PM CST

Ex-US Attorney Admits Leaking Memo Intended to Make ‘Fast and Furious’ Whistle-Blower Look Bad

A former U.S. Attorney for Arizona who resigned in August after a botched federal probe of gun-running for Mexican drug cartels came to light has admitted leaking a memo intended to cast aspersions on a whistle-blower who went to Congress about Operation Fast and Furious. In the probe, agents of…

Nov 9, 2011 9:12 PM CST

DOJ Muffin Myth Revealed: $16 Was Cost of Entire Continental Breakfast; Revised Report Is Issued

An audit report issued last month got a lot of press when it accused the U.S. Justice Department of spending $16 per muffin at a legal training conference in 2009. Never mind. The $16 was the cost of an entire continental breakfast that included fruit, coffee, juice and other pastries,…

Oct 31, 2011 11:31 AM CDT

DOJ Suggests Rule Change to Authorize Release of Historic Grand Jury Information

The U.S. Justice Department is backing a change in federal rules to authorize disclosure of older grand jury testimony. Attorney General Eric Holder writes in a letter that courts should be allowed to disclose archival grand jury materials of great historical significance, the New York Times reports. Archived copies of…

Oct 21, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Speedy Filings Could Mean Speedy Cert Decision on Health Care Law

Speedy court filings could put challenges to the Obama’s administration’s health care law on the Supreme Court’s docket sooner rather than later. The U.S. Justice Department and 26 states challenging the law have filed briefs ahead of schedule, report USA Today and SCOTUSblog. “It now seems inevitable that the justices…

Oct 19, 2011 4:46 PM CDT

Alberto Gonzales Has a Second Nashville Job, This One at a Law Firm

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has two employment gigs in Nashville. Earlier this week came the announcement that Gonzales will become a law professor at Belmont University, a new law school in Nashville. Now Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis has announced that Gonzales is joining the Nashville law firm in…

Oct 6, 2011 3:10 PM CDT

Oops. Yemen Man Cited in Alabama Senators’ Push to Enforce New Immigration Law Is a Legal Resident

A misdemeanor charge against an alleged undocumented immigrant in Etowah County, Ala., last week was billed as the first in the state under a controversial new law that allows police to check the immigration status of an arrestee. Taken into custody Friday for allegedly obstructing a government operation during a…

Oct 5, 2011 7:24 PM CDT