Attorney General

Harvard Law Prof Testifies Congress Can Make You Buy Veggies and Insurance

Harvard law professor Charles Fried testified before Congress on Wednesday that he’s “quite sure” the health-care law’s insurance requirement is constitutional. Fried, who was solicitor general in the Reagan administration, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the commerce clause gives Congress the power to require insurance, the Talking Points…

Feb 3, 2011 4:31 PM CST

Law Prof Nominates Imprisoned Gov. for Nobel Peace Prize, Sees Message in No. 167

Imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for halting executions in the state, according to a University of Illinois law professor who nominated him for the honor. Francis Boyle is allowed to make nominations for the prize because he is an international law professor, according to…

Feb 2, 2011 1:17 PM CST

Plane that Landed on NJ Highway Was Owned by Justice Department

A plane that made an emergency landing on a New Jersey highway on Monday was being used for local homeland security training. The plane, owned by the Justice Department, was being used by the Bergen County prosecutor’s office, according to the Associated Press and the Hackensack Chronicle. No one was…

Feb 1, 2011 12:54 PM CST

Ex-Supreme Court Litigator at Jenner Nominated for Solicitor General

A former Jenner & Block partner who oversaw the firm’s Supreme Court practice has been nominated to be solicitor general. The nominee, Donald Verrilli Jr., left Jenner in 2009 to become associate deputy attorney general, according to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) and The BLT:…

Jan 25, 2011 11:39 AM CST

Do Ex-Solicitors General Wield Too Much Influence in Supreme Court?

The U.S. Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is more likely to reach a conservative result in business cases, according to a study of decisions issued since 1953. Should the credit go to former Justice Department lawyers hired by corporations for their oral arguments?…

Jan 19, 2011 12:46 PM CST

AG Holder Taps Ex-Chief to Head New DOJ Discipline Office for Reckless and Defiant Prosecutors

A new Department of Justice office announced today will oversee discipline for career prosecutors who recklessly or intentionally violate ethical rules and will be headed by Kevin Ohlson, who until recently was Attorney General Eric Holder’s chief of staff. However, the new Professional Misconduct Review Unit won’t kick into gear…

Jan 18, 2011 9:11 PM CST

Sidley Austin Partner Is Reportedly Obama’s Pick to Head Office of Legal Counsel

Sidley Austin partner Virginia Seitz is expected to be tapped to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel after President Obama’s controversial prior nominee withdrew from consideration. Seitz will reportedly be nominated for the job early next year, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. Seitz has an appellate…

Dec 22, 2010 5:31 PM CST

Ernst & Young Accused in NY Suit of Helping Lehman Hide Billions in Debt

The accounting firm Ernst &Young is being targeted in a lawsuit for its work for Lehman Brothers before the investment bank’s collapse in 2008. The suit by outgoing New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo claims the accounting firm helped Lehman hide billions of dollars in debt, according to the Associated…

Dec 22, 2010 5:14 PM CST

Holder Op-Ed: Health Care Challenges Are ‘Troubling’ and Wrong on the Law

Legal attacks on the insurance mandate in the new health care law are “troubling” and could have devastating consequences if they succeed, according to an op-ed by Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Writing in the Washington Post, Holder and Sebelius say they…

Dec 14, 2010 12:27 PM CST

Every Day, DOJ Lawyer Deals with ‘Two or Three Cases of a Lifetime’

Former Jenner & Block partner Ian Gershengorn oversees a challenging assignment as director of the Justice Department’s Federal Programs Branch. “Every day,” Gershengorn told the New York Times, “I deal with two or three cases of a lifetime.” Gershengorn’s office represents the federal government in constitutional challenges, the Times explains.…

Dec 10, 2010 4:27 PM CST

Jailed WikiLeaks Founder Put in Segregation, as 1st Individual Is Detained in Hack Attacks

Jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange denies, through his legal counsel, that he had anything to do with recent hack attacks on organizations perceived as hostile to his website. And he asserts that WikiLeaks is a news publishing site, not a hack site, Australian Broadcasting Corporation News reports. However, the 39-year-old…

Dec 9, 2010 10:58 PM CST

Federal Prosecutors Rarely Lose Their Jobs, Despite Misconduct Findings

Justice Department investigations of prosecutor misconduct rarely result in serious sanctions for wrongdoing, according to a newspaper investigation. “Prosecutors have little reason to fear losing their jobs, even if they violate laws or constitutional safeguards designed to ensure the justice system is fair,” USA Today reports. Most violations result in…

Dec 9, 2010 2:58 PM CST

US Faces Obstacles to Prosecution of WikiLeaks Founder, Now in UK Custody

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange turned himself in to British police on Tuesday as U.S. officials confirmed a criminal investigation into his website’s release of documents. Assange, who is an Australian citizen, plans to fight extradition to Sweden, where he stands accused of sexual assault, according to the Washington Post and…

Dec 7, 2010 12:37 PM CST

Civil Rights Commission Accuses DOJ of Stonewalling Reverse Racism Probe

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has released an interim report that accuses the U.S. Justice Department of stonewalling an investigation into the DOJ’s handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party. The Justice Department failed to turn over critical documents about its decision-making process and…

Dec 7, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Former Reagan AG Helped Popularize ‘Constitutional Conservatism’ Catchphrase

Former Reagan administration Attorney General Edwin Meese led the effort to restore “fundamental constitutional values.” Now his influence extends to the “constitutional conservatism” movement. Meese is “the prime mover” behind the so-called Mount Vernon Statement used to rally Republicans last winter, according to Lincoln Caplan in an Editorial Observer column…

Dec 2, 2010 1:44 PM CST