Attorney General

Mukasey Delayed Report Criticizing Authors of Torture Memos

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey delayed a report last fall by the Justice Department’s ethics unit that criticizes three lawyers who wrote the so-called torture memos approving harsh interrogation tactics for terrorism suspects. The report by the Office of Professional Responsibility “sharply criticizes” three former Justice Department officials, according to…

Feb 17, 2009 12:14 PM CST

Alaska AG Resigns, Criticized for Role in Troopergate Probe

The attorney general of Alaska has resigned after criticism over his role in the Troopergate investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin. Attorney General Talis Colberg announced the resignation in a statement yesterday, the Associated Press reports. “I determined that it was in the best interest of the state of Alaska to…

Feb 11, 2009 12:19 PM CST

Kagan Says She Would Have Defended Military Recruiter Law as SG

Solicitor General nominee Elena Kagan said at her confirmation hearing yesterday that she would have defended a law requiring universities receiving federal funding to accept military recruiters. Kagan, the dean of Harvard Law School, had signed a Supreme Court amicus brief that opposed the law. She and other signers objected…

Feb 11, 2009 11:58 AM CST

SEC Chair Among Government Lawyers Getting Big Severance Payments

The new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission is one of several lawyers joining the administration who are getting big lump-sum payments from their previous employers. Mary Schapiro comes to the administration from the self-regulatory body for the securities industry that she headed, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. An…

Feb 10, 2009 1:32 PM CST

Solicitor General Nominee Faces Confirmation Hearing Today

Little opposition has surfaced to solicitor general nominee Elena Kagan, who faces the Senate Judiciary Committee today for her confirmation hearing. Conservative groups are urging close scrutiny of Kagan, possibly because she is also considered a possible nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court if a vacancy occurs during Barack Obama’s…

Feb 10, 2009 12:32 PM CST

Judges Appear Surprised as US Presses State Secrets Privilege

In a case closely watched for a preview of the Obama’s administration’s terrorism policies, a Justice Department lawyer invoked the state secrets privilege before a federal appeals court yesterday. Bush administration lawyers had advanced the same argument to win dismissal of the case against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan, accused of…

Feb 10, 2009 12:04 PM CST

Obama Secrecy Policies Tested in Extraordinary Rendition Case

Lawyers representing the Obama administration will be asked today about their position on the state secrets privilege and extraordinary rendition. The issues are before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco in a case that was dismissed a year ago at the urging of lawyers in…

Feb 9, 2009 5:19 PM CST

Two DOJ Nominees Had Lapsed Law Licenses

Two nominees for top jobs in the Justice Department briefly had lapsed law licenses because of missed deadlines. One blamed the failure on a busy schedule, and the other said the law firm he had recently left failed to forward dues warnings. The nominees detailed the suspensions in Judiciary Committee…

Feb 5, 2009 4:13 PM CST

Justice Department Rehires Lawyer Ousted Over Lesbian Rumor

A Justice Department lawyer who reportedly lost her job because of rumors that she was a lesbian got her job back on Monday. The lawyer, Leslie Hagen, was hired after a nationwide search for candidates, National Public Radio reports. At one time the job was a contract position, but now…

Feb 4, 2009 4:17 PM CST

Holder Sworn In as AG, Says He Won’t Conduct Wall Street ‘Witch Hunt’

Eric Holder promised “a break with the immediate past” as he was sworn in today as attorney general. Holder said Justice Department employees would be working in an environment where “there shall be no place for political favoritism. No reasons to be timid,” the Washington Post reports. The story points…

Feb 3, 2009 4:56 PM CST

‘Broad Doctrinal Shift’ Expected at DOJ as Eric Holder is OK’d as AG

In an expected confirmation, the U.S. Senate has confirmed Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation’s first African-American attorney general. “Though debate quickly turned partisan when his chief supporter denounced Republicans who sought a pledge not to prosecute intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogations, the Senate still confirmed Holder…

Feb 2, 2009 11:57 PM CST

Justice Department Hoaxes Employees in Security Test

The U.S. Justice Department sent a hoax e-mail to its employees directing them to log on to a website where they could enter information about their savings plan. The e-mail sent a few weeks ago was signed “Thrift Savings Plan Account Coordinator,” the Associated Press reports. It told employees to…

Jan 30, 2009 8:06 PM CST

Ex-DOJ Antitrust Chief Heads Back to Covington

The Justice Department’s antitrust chief will be going back to his former law firm, Covington & Burling. Thomas Barnett resigned from his post in November and spent a few months relaxing with family and friends. Now he is going back to the law firm where he spent 14 years of…

Jan 28, 2009 5:29 PM CST

Holder Wins Judiciary Committee Approval

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of Eric Holder to become attorney general. The vote was 17-2, reports The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. A full Senate vote could come as early as tomorrow. The only senators voting against Holder were Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and…

Jan 28, 2009 4:48 PM CST

Holder’s Harshest Senate Critic Says He Will Vote for Confirmation

The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee says that despite his initial doubts, he will support Eric Holder for attorney general. Sen. Arlen Specter said he decided to support Holder because of his good record and support within the law enforcement community, Legal Times reports. The Wall Street Journal…

Jan 28, 2009 12:42 PM CST