Attorney General

Laurence Tribe Leaves DOJ Job, Cites Symptoms of Brain Tumor

The Harvard constitutional law professor who took a leave of absence for a job with the Justice Department is stepping down due to recurring symptoms of a benign brain tumor. Laurence Tribe will return to Harvard in January after serving as the Justice Department’s “senior counselor for access to justice”…

Nov 19, 2010 2:06 PM CST

NJ Governor Among 5 Onetime Prosecutors Criticized for Travel Expenses

Five U.S. attorneys have been singled out in a report for exceeding the government rate while traveling on business. The report by the Justice Department’s inspector general does not identify the U.S. attorneys accused of paying high rates without justification between 2007 and 2009, according to The BLT: The Blog…

Nov 12, 2010 4:57 PM CST

US Attorney General Reports for Jury Duty

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was in Washington, D.C., superior court on Monday, but his appearance didn’t involve government litigation. Holder reported for jury duty, the Christian Science Monitor reports. He was considered as a juror in a drunken driving case, but rejected early on. The judge, Robert Morin, said…

Nov 10, 2010 12:43 PM CST

After New E-Mail Review, DOJ Concludes John Yoo Committed No Misconduct

The U.S. Justice Department has reviewed newly discovered e-mails and determined that former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo did not commit professional misconduct when he approved waterboarding of terrorism suspects. The Associated Press obtained a letter outlining the findings. According to its story, the review did not change a DOJ…

Nov 10, 2010 12:25 PM CST

DOJ Sues Ex-Seyfarth Partner for Alleged Sham Tax Shelters

A former partner at Seyfarth Shaw has been accused in a Justice Department complaint of selling sham tax shelters that resulted in $370 million in improper deductions. The complaint alleges lawyer John Rogers peddled the shelters from at least 2003, the same year he joined Seyfarth after the bankruptcy of…

Nov 4, 2010 12:38 PM CDT

California Voters Reject Legalized Marijuana

California voters have snuffed out a referendum that would have legalized marijuana in the state. If the ballot measure had been approved, California would have been the first state to legalize marijuana, putting it at odds with the federal government. Last month Attorney General Eric Holder had pledged to “vigorously…

Nov 3, 2010 12:28 PM CDT

9th Circuit Grants DOJ’s Request for Stay of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Late Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency request from the Justice Department for a stay that would allow the Pentagon to continue to enforce the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, which bans gays from openly serving in the military.…

Oct 21, 2010 6:54 PM CDT

US Files Appeal to 9th Circuit to Stay ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Ruling

Corrected: The Obama administration asked the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday to immediately suspend the ruling overturning the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military. The Justice Department’s filing (PDF) asserts that immediately repealing the policy would create major problems for the…

Oct 20, 2010 5:17 PM CDT

Banks Draw Scrutiny From Feds and Chicago-Area Sheriff

A sheriff in Chicago says he’ll halt evictions by three lenders until they submit affidavits confirming that the paperwork was done properly. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said his foreclosure moratorium applies to Bank of America, J.P Morgan Chase and GMAC/Ally Financial, according to the Associated Press, Bloomberg and the…

Oct 20, 2010 4:05 PM CDT

U.S. Attorney Defends Islam in Lawsuit Challenging Tennessee Mosque Permit

The U.S. Attorney in Nashville has filed a brief defending Islam as a religion in a dispute over a Tennessee mosque. U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin said in a press conference on Monday that he would not sit by while mosque opponents contend Islam is a political system rather than a…

Oct 19, 2010 11:27 AM CDT

DOJ Says It Will Enforce Marijuana Laws in Calif., Prop 19 or No

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced last week that even though efforts would be “greatly complicated if Proposition 19—a California ballot measure to decriminalize marijuana—is passed, the Department of Justice would still prosecute federal drug laws there against the substance. A letter that Holder sent to nine former chiefs of…

Oct 18, 2010 9:44 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Decide Ashcroft Immunity in Suit by Detained Football Player

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether former Attorney General John Ashcroft has immunity in a civil suit by a Muslim citizen who says he was unconstitutionally held as a material witness in a terrorism probe. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide the issue in a suit…

Oct 18, 2010 2:41 PM CDT

AG: Delayed Votes on Federal Judge Nominees Is Creating ‘Crisis in Our Courts’

A routine failure by the U.S. Senate to hold timely votes to decide whether or not to confirm the nominations of judicial appointees is exacerbating the problem created by more than 100 vacant seats on the federal bench, writes U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in a op-ed today in the…

Sep 28, 2010 5:53 PM CDT

Six Tech Companies, Including Apple and Google, Settle Poaching-Pact Probe

Apple, Google and four other technology companies have settled an antitrust probe into allegations that the companies agreed not to poach each other’s employees. According to a Justice Department complaint filed along with the proposed settlement, the companies had agreed to refrain from cold calling other’s employees to solicit them…

Sep 27, 2010 3:15 PM CDT

Private Conversation on Open Mic Reveals ‘Miracle’ of AG Holder’s Survival

A private conversation between two former White House lawyers caught on an open microphone reveals White House tensions and the “miracle” of Attorney General Eric Holder’s survival. The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times reports on the comments, obtained by the National Law Journal when it requested a recording of…

Sep 27, 2010 1:44 PM CDT