Attorney General

Inexperience and Staffing Problems Plagued Stevens Prosecutors

The Justice Department section that prosecuted former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, only to see the charges dismissed, was inexperienced and overwhelmed, observers say. Defense lawyers and government officials told the Washington Post that the problems were not likely because of political motivations. Rather, the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section “miscalculated by…

Apr 13, 2009 3:49 PM CDT

John Yoo’s Constitutional Arguments are Worth a Hearing, Law Dean Says

It has become almost a truism, to a significant portion of the legal community, that former U.S. Department of Justice attorney John Yoo was way off target when he authored legal memos supporting interrogation methods some consider tantamount to torture. But the dean of the law school at which Yoo…

Apr 11, 2009 12:36 AM CDT

Alaska Seeks Hatch Act Probe in Stevens Case, Supports Possible Tort Claim

Opening a new chapter in the ongoing debacle over the federal government’s stunningly unsuccessful prosecution of then-Sen. Ted Stevens for corruption, the legislature of his home state of Alaska today overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for further investigation of potential election law violations and demanding that the federal government give…

Apr 9, 2009 12:24 AM CDT

Does Bybee’s ‘Easy Personality’ Explain Why He Signed ‘Torture Memos’?

Some acquaintances wonder why Judge Jay Bybee signed two memos approving harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects when he led the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel in 2002. The Recorder (sub. req.) partly answers the question, saying the federal appeals judge’s “easy personality” may provide a clue. That personality may…

Apr 8, 2009 12:57 PM CDT

Special Prosecutor to Investigate Government Lawyers in Sen. Stevens Case

As requested by the government, a federal judge today reversed the corruption conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens and dismissed the case against him with prejudice. But the case is far from over. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan is appointing a special prosecutor to pursue a criminal contempt probe against…

Apr 7, 2009 4:52 PM CDT

Fed’l Judge in Sen. Stevens Case Puts Spotlight on Prosecution

Six days into a high-profile corruption trial of then-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., knew they’d made a major mistake. A February 2007 document in the FBI file concerning the government’s chief witness could well be helpful to the defense. But the prosecution hadn’t turned it over…

Apr 6, 2009 5:42 PM CDT

‘Holy Hell’ Breaks Lose Over Possible Disclosure of Torture Memos

U.S. security officials are working to overturn a decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to release three 2005 Justice Department memos approving harsh interrogation techniques. National security aide John Brennan is leading the effort to block disclosure of the documents, Newsweek reports. “Holy hell has broken loose over this,” one…

Apr 3, 2009 6:02 PM CDT

U.S. Moves to Drop Charges Against Sen. Stevens

Updated: In a stunning development this morning, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to drop charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. Justice Department officials are getting out of the case rather than continuing to defend the DOJ against accusations of prosecutorial misconduct. Indeed, the New York Times is…

Apr 1, 2009 1:10 PM CDT

Immigration Courts Swamped With Cases Taking 2-10 Years to Reach Disposition

The backlog of immigration cases is so dense that it took at least two years for 90,000 people accused of being in the U.S. illegally to get a judge to decide whether they needed to leave. In a review of immigration cases since 2003, USA Today found 14,000 cases that…

Mar 30, 2009 3:48 PM CDT

Lawyer Challenges Former AG to Face Spanish Torture Charges

A human rights lawyer says former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and five other former Bush administration officials should come to Spain to face accusations that they approved the torture of terrorism suspects. Lawyer Gonzalo Boye helped bring the complaint before Spain’s investigative judge Baltasar Garzon, known for his pursuit of…

Mar 30, 2009 12:45 PM CDT

Former Homeland Security Chief Chertoff Joins Covington

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is joining Covington & Burling’s white-collar defense and investigations practice. Chertoff is a former assistant U.S. attorney, a former head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and a former judge with the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Am Law Daily reports.…

Mar 26, 2009 4:17 PM CDT

Law Dean Criticizes DOJ’s Use of State Secrets as a ‘Talismanic Phrase’

Civil libertarians are criticizing the Obama administration’s Justice Department for defending the state secrets privilege, despite the president’s campaign pledge of a more open government. Critics point to the department’s stance in a lawsuit challenging warrantless wiretaps by the now-defunct Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, the Washington Post reports. The case focuses…

Mar 25, 2009 12:00 PM CDT

Cuomo Uses Office as ‘Bully Pulpit,’ Gets AIG Bonus Recipients to Return Cash

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that he has persuaded 15 of the top 20 bonus recipients at AIG to return the money, and it may be possible to recoup some $80 million in all. Cuomo told reporters that out of the top 10 employees who received bonuses,…

Mar 24, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

SG May Jump into High Court Argument with Voting Rights Case

The nation’s new solicitor general may be so eager to prove herself that she will argue an important voting rights case before the Supreme Court at the end of the term. Legal Times quotes an “informed source” who says Solicitor General Elena Kagan is angling for the case, set for…

Mar 23, 2009 4:21 PM CDT

Senate Confirms Kagan for Solicitor General After Debate on Qualifications

The dean of Harvard Law School, Elena Kagan, has been confirmed as solicitor general by a vote of 61-31. The vote was largely along party lines, Reuters reports. Senators debated Kagan’s qualifications for three hours before voting, according to Legal Times. Critics questioned whether she was qualified to become the…

Mar 20, 2009 12:51 PM CDT