Attorney General

Rule of Law School

It is really encouraging to see “Russia Claws at the Rule of Law” (July) on the cover of the ABA Journal. As a lawyer practicing in Russia for the past six years, I can confirm that most of the issues described take place, especially with regard to criminal investigations. However…

Sep 2, 2009 4:20 AM CDT

Holder Speech Highlights ABA Annual Meeting

New attorney general says administration will seek “smart” strategies to address crime

Sep 2, 2009 1:40 AM CDT

Ex-AGs Weigh Justice and Politics

Six former U.S. attorneys general, who served under four different presidents in the past 30 years, expressed serious concerns about proposed investigations into interrogation techniques employed—but now abandoned—in the war against terrorism.

Sep 2, 2009 1:20 AM CDT

DOJ to Hire 50 More Lawyers, Gear Up for Civil Rights Enforcement Drive

The U.S. Department of Justice is gearing up for a renewed emphasis on traditional civil rights enforcement after a shift in focus during the administration of former President George W. Bush to a greater emphasis on religious rights, human trafficking and individual cases in which there was evidence of intentional…

Sep 1, 2009 10:04 PM CDT

Cheney Weighs In On Probe of CIA, Calls US Terror Tactics Legal & Necessary

Reacting to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s appointment of a special prosecutor last week to look into the legality of interrogation techniques used on suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, former Vice President Dick Cheney called the probe a political witchhunt by left-wing…

Aug 31, 2009 5:29 PM CDT

CIA Reportedly Will Pay Legal Fees of Officers in Interrogation Abuse Probe

The CIA will make sure officers investigated for interrogation abuses have legal representation, according to a senior intelligence official. The unnamed official told the Washington Post that CIA Director Leon Panetta “will do everything he can to ensure that anyone who needs legal representation has it, whether they have liability…

Aug 28, 2009 12:07 PM CDT

Were John Yoo and Jay Bybee Duped into Approving Waterboarding?

CIA medical personnel later objected to a description of the safety of waterboarding contained in a report sent to Justice Department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee. The suspect report formed the basis for a legal memo approving waterboarding of terrorism suspects, the Washington Independent reports. The Office of Medical…

Aug 26, 2009 12:37 PM CDT

Lawyers Helped Set Detainee Routine in Painstaking Detail

Newly released CIA documents illustrate that lawyers helped oversee the smallest details of detention and interrogation for terrorism suspects. The documents dispel the impression of CIA operatives run wild, according to the New York Times. Instead they make clear that the rules were “dictated from Washington with the painstaking, eye-glazing…

Aug 26, 2009 12:05 PM CDT

Ex-AG Gonzales Defends US Attorney Firings and Presidential Loyalty

Alberto Gonzales may have his share of critics, but Target shoppers in Lubbock, Texas, apparently like him. The former attorney general is in Lubbock to teach a political science class at Texas Tech and to assist in minority recruitment. In an interview with Texas Lawyer, Gonzales touched on a variety…

Aug 25, 2009 2:45 PM CDT

AG Names Prosecutor for Detainee Interrogation Probe

Updated: Attorney General Eric Holder has named a federal prosecutor to consider whether to launch a full-scale criminal investigation of some current and former CIA employees for abuses in interrogations of terrorism suspects. The Washington Post broke the news earlier today that Holder was set to name federal prosecutor John…

Aug 24, 2009 6:44 PM CDT

DOJ Report to Recommend Pursuing Detainee Abuse Cases

A report by the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility will recommend reopening almost a dozen cases alleging abuse of terrorism detainees during their interrogations, a source tells the New York Times. Many observers believe Attorney General Eric Holder will appoint a prosecutor to investigate; his decision is expected within…

Aug 24, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

DOJ Nazi Hunters Shift Focus to Perpetrators of New Atrocities

Nazis responsible for Holocaust atrocities are dying out, but the Justice Department unit responsible for extraditing them from U.S. soil continues to operate, albeit with a new focus. The Office of Special Investigations, created in 1979, has won deportation orders against 107 immigrants suspected of lying about their pasts on…

Aug 20, 2009 2:42 PM CDT

DOJ Won’t Appeal Ruling Likely to Cut Sentence for Nacchio

The Department of Justice won’t appeal a ruling last month expected to result in a lower insider trading sentence for the former CEO of Qwest Communications. Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said on Monday that the ruling would not be appealed, but she did not indicate the reason why, Reuters…

Aug 18, 2009 6:39 PM CDT

Protesters Greet Law Professor John Yoo at UC Berkeley

At least four protesters were arrested in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday after they refused to leave the lecture hall where former Justice Department official John Yoo was teaching a civil law class. Protesters shouted “war criminal” as Yoo entered the building at the University of California Berkeley’s Boalt Hall law…

Aug 18, 2009 11:43 AM CDT

UBS Agrees to Reveal Names of Suspected US Tax Evaders

Lawyers who defend those accused of tax fraud may be seeing an increase in workload soon. Swiss bank UBS has agreed to disclose the names of U.S. clients suspected of tax evasion in a deal reached with the U.S. Justice Department, the New York Times reports. Justice Department lawyer Stuart…

Aug 12, 2009 3:26 PM CDT