Attorney General

Judge Refuses Va. AG’s Request for Records of Global Warming Scientist

A Virginia judge has blocked an attempt by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to obtain records of a global warming scientist. Cuccinelli is a global warming skeptic, and he wanted the records as part of a probe into possible fraud in taxpayer-funded research on the issue by former professor Michael…

Aug 31, 2010 12:50 PM CDT

Civil Rights Groups Sue Over Claimed US Kill List

Civil liberties groups filed a federal lawsuit today against the United States government on behalf of a U.S.-born cleric who is in hiding in Yemen. Anwar al-Aulaqi has been unconstitutionally placed on a U.S. kill list because of his suspected involvement in terrorist activities, contend the American Civil Liberties Union…

Aug 30, 2010 11:52 PM CDT

Hard-Fought Depo Didn’t Cross Ethical Line, Grievance Panel Finds

After many years in practice, Andrew O’Keefe had a clean disciplinary record. But a hard-fought deposition put the Hartford, Conn., defense attorney in the hot seat after a Manchester woman contended that he tried to “harass, intimidate and embarrass” her with questions at the session. A local grievance panel determined…

Aug 30, 2010 9:10 PM CDT

Attorney General Holder Featured in Vogue Magazine

The September issue of Vogue magazine has details on what to wear now, fall fashion at every price and the pressures of Eric Holder’s job as attorney general. Holder tells the magazine about his job worries and woes, but there are “sadly no details on who he’s wearing,” Main Justice…

Aug 23, 2010 4:25 PM CDT

Ex-AG Gonzales: Constitutional Amendment Won’t Solve Immigration Crisis

Some Republicans are supporting a constitutional amendment to combat “birth tourism,” but former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales isn’t one of them. The proposal is to amend the 14th Amendment that gives automatic citizenship to babies born here, even if the parents are illegal immigrants. Supporters argue the amendment will discourage…

Aug 20, 2010 12:28 PM CDT

Despite ‘Sweetheart Deal’ Complaint, Judge Approves Barclays Settlement

A federal judge who criticized a $298 million U.S. settlement with the British bank Barclays as a “sweetheart deal” on Tuesday approved the pact on Wednesday after a hearing where he pressed for more details. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan wanted to know why no individual was charged in the…

Aug 19, 2010 2:32 PM CDT

DOJ to Sue Joe Arpaio if Ariz. Sheriff Doesn’t Cooperate with Immigration Probe

In an unusual threat against a law enforcement leader, the U.S. Department of Justice has threatened to sue a controversial Arizona sheriff if he doesn’t cooperate with an ongoing civil rights investigation. Although Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County is a folk hero to some, others contend that the 78-year-old…

Aug 17, 2010 8:41 PM CDT

Ex-House Majority Leader DeLay Doesn’t Know Why DOJ Probe Took So Long

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says he doesn’t know why it took six years for the Justice Department to finish an investigation of his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. No federal criminal charges will be filed against the former GOP congressman, according to stories in The BLT: The…

Aug 17, 2010 2:59 PM CDT

CIA Interrogation Tapes Found Under Desk; Judge Was Told They Didn’t Exist

A Justice Department prosecutor is investigating why the CIA never disclosed interrogation videotapes made at a Moroccan facility before they were found under a desk in 2007. The tapes show the interrogation of accused Sept. 11 plotter Ramzi Binalshibh at a Moroccan detention center largely financed by the CIA, sources…

Aug 17, 2010 12:45 PM CDT

DOJ Pays Out $290K for Failed Prosecution of Iranian-American Defense Contractor

Iranian-American Defense Contractor Alex Latifi will receive $290,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice for misguided prosecution in a landmark case settled this week. Latifi, an Alabama native who was charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act in a six-count government indictment and trial in 2007, was granted the…

Aug 13, 2010 7:19 PM CDT

Bouncing Can Be Dangerous to Kids’ Health, Says Suit by California’s AG

California Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a lawsuit that claims some inflatable bounce houses for kids have dangerous levels of lead. The suit seeks to force manufacturers to stop using vinyl that contains lead and to post warnings about high lead levels, the New York Times reports. “I certainly…

Aug 12, 2010 4:32 PM CDT

Scratch One SG Contender Off the List, and Move Another to the Top

A job move has some people speculating that acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal could stay in the spot permanently. But there is no need for pundits to consider the chances of Gov. Chris Gregoire. The Washington governor has informed the White House she’s not interested in the job, the Seattle…

Aug 11, 2010 1:45 PM CDT

Medical Marijuana Muddle Grows for State Law Enforcement, Pot Farms and Patients

As more states enact marijuana control laws that conflict with federal legislation, state law enforcement officials, lawyers and doctors are left in a quandary when it comes to regulating and advising clients, patients and dispensaries looking to cash in on a lucrative market for medicinal marijuana. While U.S. Supreme Court…

Aug 8, 2010 1:46 AM CDT

Chamber of Commerce Finds Common Ground with DOJ on Key Litigation

Charles Dickens opened his famous novel A Tale of Two Cities with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” If Dickens were covering an ABA Annual Meeting program Friday that looked at where the civil division of the U.S. Justice Department stands in the eyes…

Aug 7, 2010 12:40 AM CDT

Insurance Guru Eugene Anderson Dies; Known for ‘Triple Trigger,’ Hitchhiking to Harvard

As a foster child growing up in Portland, Ore., in the 1930s, on farms and in an orphanage, Eugene Anderson must have seemed an unlikely prospect for success as a New York lawyer. However, he not only put himself through the University of California, Los Angeles, but with the help…

Aug 2, 2010 7:30 PM CDT