Attorney General

Law Prof Withdraws Nomination to Head DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel

Controversial Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen has withdrawn her nomination to lead the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel 15 months after she was first nominated for the position. Johnsen, a former legal director of NARAL Pro-Choice America, announced her withdrawal on Friday, according to stories in the National…

Apr 12, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

DOJ Places Gag Order on ‘Largely Invisible’ Laurence Tribe

Noted Harvard constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe is facing some constraints in his new, specially created job in the Obama administration as “senior counselor for access to justice.” Tribe has a small budget and a limited staff, and he is not allowed to speak to the press, the New York…

Apr 8, 2010 2:29 PM CDT

DOJ Backs Secrecy for Failed Pardon Requests

The Obama administration is apparently concerned about the agony of defeat for the 9,200 people whose pardon or commutation requests were denied by former President George W. Bush. The Department of Justice argues that the names should be kept secret in a brief (PDF) filed Friday with the U.S. Court…

Mar 30, 2010 10:59 AM CDT

John Yoo Sees Himself as West Berlin During the Cold War

The former Justice Department official who wrote legal memos authorizing harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects views his position as a conservative law professor at a liberal school through the prism of history. John Yoo has prompted so much protest that administrators at the University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall…

Mar 29, 2010 1:15 PM CDT

Obama Administration Lawyers ‘Deeply Divided’ Over Enemy Combatants

Obama administration lawyers have pulled back from claims that the president has far-reaching powers to indefinitely detain terrorism suspects, but they have disagreed behind the scenes on the paramaters. The lawyers are “deeply divided,” the Washington Post reports. “The rift has been most pronounced between top lawyers in the State…

Mar 29, 2010 12:46 PM CDT

‘Al Qaeda Seven’ or ‘Patriots’? AG Defends Lawyers in Apparent Rebuttal

Attorney General Eric Holder is defending lawyers who represent unpopular clients in a speech delivered just two weeks after a conservative group criticized Justice Department lawyers who previously defended Guantanamo detainees. The group known as Keep America Safe had dubbed the lawyers “the Al Qaeda Seven.” Speaking Friday as he…

Mar 22, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

9th Cir. Panel Refuses En Banc Rehearing of Ruling Ex-AG Ashcroft Can Be Sued by Witness

Refusing an en banc rehearing of an earlier 2-1 ruling by an appellate panel, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has effectively held once more that former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft can be sued for civil damages by a man who says he was unconstitutionally jailed…

Mar 18, 2010 9:36 PM CDT

Holder Says Bin Laden Won’t Be Captured Alive

Attorney General Eric Holder told a House subcommittee on Tuesday that Osama bin Laden would have the same rights as any accused murderer if he were tried in an American courtroom—but in reality a trial will never occur. Holder said Bin Laden won’t be tried because he won’t be captured…

Mar 17, 2010 12:14 PM CDT

DOJ Letter Criticizes Alston & Bird Lawyer for TMI in Maricopa Matter

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., may have been trying to save face when he announced in a news conference last Thursday that he was dropping a controversial lawsuit against county officials because the Justice Department was looking into the case. Now that assertion appears to have blown up…

Mar 16, 2010 2:21 PM CDT

Can Antitrust Law Save the American Farmer? Holder Pledges Scrutiny

Attorney General Eric Holder told Iowa farmers at a public forum Friday that he is working with federal agricultural officials to scrutinize anti-competitive practices that affect farmers. About 500 people attended the meeting, including farmers and public relations executives for Monsanto, said to be under investigation already for its practices…

Mar 15, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Republicans Criticize AG Holder’s Failure to Disclose Terrorism Briefs

The Justice Department has confirmed that Attorney General Eric Holder failed to disclose during the confirmation process his work on amicus briefs in terrorism cases. The briefs opposed President Bush’s power to declare American citizen Jose Padilla to be an enemy combatant, the New York Times reports. Justice Department spokesman…

Mar 12, 2010 8:25 PM CST

Attorney Firings Get Just Four Pages in Rove Memoir

The U.S. Attorney firings controversy didn’t get much play in Courage and Consequences, former White House adviser Karl Rove’s 520-page memoir released today. Main Justice said four pages of the book were devoted to the scandal. It reports that Rove said the White House had a minor role in the…

Mar 9, 2010 9:22 PM CST

Justice Confesses to Egg McMuffin Weakness in ‘Little Billy’s Letters’ Book

Justice Clarence Thomas thought he was answering a 10-year-old’s query when he sang the praises of the Egg McMuffin. Unemployed writer Bill Geerhart posed as “little Billy” seeking answers to life’s perplexing questions when he sent letters—and received replies—from well-known people including Thomas and then-Attorney General Janet Reno. His book…

Mar 8, 2010 2:37 PM CST

Law Prof’s Controversial Nomination Moves Once Again to Full Senate

The Senate Judiciary Committee has once again given its approval to the nomination of a controversial law professor to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. The committee voted to approve Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen by a 12-7 party line vote and sent the nomination to the…

Mar 5, 2010 5:41 PM CST

Obama Advisers Likely to Recommend Military Trial for 9/11 Mastermind

President Obama’s advisers are about to recommend a military trial for the man who has taken credit for masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks, a published report says. Anonymous administration officials told the Washington Post that the advisers are close to completing a review of the case of 9/11 mastermind Khalid…

Mar 5, 2010 12:28 PM CST