Attorney General

DOJ Report Won’t Trigger Ethics Referral for Authors of Terrorism Memos

Former Justice Department lawyers Jay Bybee and John Yoo are likely to be relieved by a forthcoming report that concludes they exercised “poor judgment” in legal memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques. The report by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility has been rewritten to eliminate a finding that Bybee…

Feb 1, 2010 12:59 PM CST

Sen. Wants AG to Resign; Others Also OK’d Miranda for Alleged Bomber

The Department of Justice was one of at least four agencies that approved giving a Miranda warning to alleged underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab—after he had stopped talking, according to a published report. “Knowledgeable law enforcement officials” told the Los Angeles Times that other agencies consulted included the FBI, the…

Feb 1, 2010 12:18 PM CST

John Yoo Defends Secret Class, Says Protesters Can Enroll if They Want to Attend

In an apparent effort to deter protesters potentially seeking to make a scene at a state constitutional law class taught by the controversial John Yoo, the University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall kept its location on campus a secret. At least temporarily stymied, some 25 individuals gathered earlier this…

Jan 25, 2010 11:08 PM CST

Holder Touts Financial-Crimes Fight, Cites 2,800 Mortgage Fraud Probes

Attorney General Eric Holder says the FBI is investigating more than 2,800 mortgage fraud cases, five times the number probed in 2004. Holder told the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission today that mortgage fraud-related charges were pending against 826 defendants as of November, the New York Times reports. The Justice Department,…

Jan 14, 2010 4:52 PM CST

Kagan’s Chief Justice Slipup Has Roberts Playing Down the Job

Two justices were quick to react when Solicitor General Elena Kagan made a slipup in oral arguments yesterday on the federal government’s power to commit sexually dangerous persons. Kagan began to address Justice Antonin Scalia as “chief,” then quickly corrected herself, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times…

Jan 13, 2010 2:35 PM CST

Jon Stewart: Terrorists May Talk if Forced to Watch His Yoo Interview

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Jan 12, 2010 12:43 PM CST

DOJ Calls for Better Law Enforcement on Indian Reservations

Citing an “unacceptable tide of domestic and sexual violence” on Indian reservations, a senior U.S. Department of Justice official has called on federal prosecutors in 33 states to step up law enforcement efforts there. In a memo, David Ogden, a deputy of Attorney General Eric Holder, also promised additional troops—47…

Jan 11, 2010 9:34 PM CST

Reid, Criticized Over ‘Negro Dialect’ Comment, Gets Support from AG

Attorney General Eric Holder says he has no doubts about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, despite racial remarks he made about Barack Obama during the presidential campaign. Reid was quoted in a recent book as saying Obama is a light-skinned African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have…

Jan 11, 2010 6:39 PM CST

Obama Renominates Controversial Law Prof to Head OLC

An Indiana law professor who drew fire over her abortion views has been renominated to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. President Obama renominated Dawn Johnsen, who once served as legal counsel to the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, according to the New York Times and The…

Jan 8, 2010 4:11 PM CST

Kansas AG Sues Founder of Association for Honest Attorneys

Corrected: The Kansas Attorney General’s office has sued the head of the nonprofit Association for Honest Attorneys. The suit claims the group’s founder, Joan Heffington, is violating consumer protection laws by advertising that she can help people with lawsuits, even though she does not have a law license, the Wichita…

Dec 14, 2009 7:04 PM CST

Former AG Gonzales Turns Reflective in Magazine’s Meaning of Life Issue

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reflected on what’s important and what he would have done differently in a magazine’s meaning-of-life issue. “This may sound egotistical, but to me it is important that when I leave this earth, I would have made a difference—that people would know Al Gonzales lived, he…

Dec 9, 2009 3:20 PM CST

GQ Labels AG Holder ‘Maverick of the Year’

Attorney General Eric Holder didn’t win the Mustached American of the Year contest, but he has succeeded on another front: A men’s magazine has named him maverick of the year. GQ magazine named Holder one if its men of the year, and gave him a separate designation as maverick of…

Dec 8, 2009 5:18 PM CST

DOJ Second-in-Command Is Leaving

The Justice Department’s second-in-command is resigning after less than a year on the job. Deputy Attorney General David Ogden announced his resignation today without elaborating on the reason for his departure, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. Ogden joined the Justice Department as deputy attorney general in…

Dec 3, 2009 3:35 PM CST

DOJ Pays $15M for Legal Research, Including $4M for Pacer

An open records advocate contends that a free source of legal documents could eventually save the federal government $1 billion, and he offers the Justice Department as Exhibit A. A freedom of information request by Carl Malamud reveals that Justice Department paid more than $4 million in 2009 for access…

Dec 2, 2009 4:25 PM CST

ABA Praises Holder for Decision to Bring Gitmo Detainees to Trial

ABA President Carolyn Lamm sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday, praising his move to bring detainees suspected of being involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks to trial. “The transfer of these high-profile cases to federal court affirms this nation’s adherence to due process and the rule of…

Nov 25, 2009 8:05 PM CST