Attorney General

A Slow Law School Start Didn’t Doom SG Nominee

The first semester at Harvard Law School didn’t go well for Elena Kagan, but she quickly recovered, earning an A-plus in one of her classes. Now Kagan is dean of Harvard law and Barack Obama’s nominee to become solicitor general. Her law school transcripts, part of a clerkship application with…

Jan 8, 2009 2:13 PM CST

Specter Wants to Know if Holder Can Just Say No

Attorney General nominee Eric Holder is likely to face tough questions from Republicans when his confirmation hearings begin next Thursday. The GOP may be emboldened by the pay-to-play charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, CNN reports, and may use the hearings to prove their credibility as a minority party, according…

Jan 8, 2009 12:52 PM CST

Associate Attorney General Nominee Sued File Sharers for RIAA

Technology blogs are talking about some controversial lawsuits filed by Barack Obama’s nominee for associate attorney general. Jenner & Block’s Tom Perrelli has represented the Recording Industry Association of America in “a slew of cases, including a high-profile bid to unmask file sharers without the requirement of a judge reviewing…

Jan 7, 2009 7:09 PM CST

Legal Writings of SG Nominee are ‘Dense, Hedged and Moderate’

The legal writings of Harvard law dean Elena Kagan don’t provide many clues about her terrorism positions that vexed the Bush administration. The New York Times examined the writings of Kagan, who is Barack Obama’s nominee for solicitor general, and found them to be “dense, hedged and moderate.” The Times…

Jan 7, 2009 1:34 PM CST

Nominee to Head OLC Called Torture Memo ‘Shockingly Flawed’

President-elect Obama’s choice to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration’s terrorism policies and the legal opinions that authorized them. The nominee, Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen, has called one OLC memo authorizing harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects “shockingly…

Jan 6, 2009 12:18 PM CST

Former Attorney General Griffin Bell Dies

Griffin Bell, a former attorney general and federal appeals judge, has died at the age of 90. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Bell’s death today. He was being treated for kidney failure, pneumonia and complications from pancreatic cancer, according to a previous story in the Journal Constitution. Bell was a…

Jan 5, 2009 3:23 PM CST

Harvard Law Dean Picked for Solicitor General

Updated: Harvard law dean Elena Kagan is President-elect Obama’s choice for solicitor general. Kagan told associates the news in an e-mail today, according to the Boston Globe’s Political Intelligence blog. She wrote that the position offers the opportunity to “help advance this nation’s commitment to the rule of law at…

Jan 5, 2009 1:35 PM CST

Calif. AG: Gay Marriage Constitutional Amendment is Unconstitutional

In an about-face, California Attorney General Jerry Brown is asking the state supreme court to overturn a voter-approved constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage in the state. Brown argues that “the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification,” the Los Angeles Times reports. He…

Dec 22, 2008 3:38 PM CST

WilmerHale Partner Said to Be Likely Deputy AG Nominee

WilmerHale partner David Ogden is said to be President-elect Barack Obama’s top choice to become deputy attorney general. Ogden is heading the Justice Department transition team for Obama. A Washington lawyer close to the transition told Legal Times that Ogden is all but certain to be named second in command…

Dec 22, 2008 1:44 PM CST

Mukasey Recuses Himself in Madoff Probe

U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey won’t participate in an investigation of Bernard Madoff, accused of defrauding investors of $50 billion in a huge Ponzi scheme. Mukasey did not give a reason for his recusal, report FOX News and ABC News. But his son, Marc Mukasey, a lawyer with Bracewell &…

Dec 17, 2008 5:23 PM CST

AG Nominee Holder Would Get $3M Partner Payout from Covington

Public sector employment would mean a big cut in regular pay for attorney general nominee Eric Holder, but he’ll have a big payout from his law firm to cushion the blow. Covington & Burling would pay Holder $3.14 million as partner capital payout, separation payments and deferred compensation, Politico reports.…

Dec 16, 2008 4:26 PM CST

Will Eric Holder be Obama’s Most Controversial Nominee?

Senate Republicans are seeking documents about Eric Holder’s role in three clemency cases and other controversial issues arising from his work in the Clinton-era Justice Department. The attorney general nominee is preparing for a fight, Legal Times reports. He is seeking advice from lawyers who include Steptoe & Johnson’s Reid…

Dec 15, 2008 2:33 PM CST

Ex-DOJ Lawyer Says He Leaked News of Warrantless Wiretaps

Speaking against the advice of his lawyers, a former Justice Department official told Newsweek magazine that he leaked news of the government’s warrantless wiretap program. Thomas Tamm, a former lawyer in the department’s Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, said he told the New York Times about the secret National…

Dec 15, 2008 12:41 PM CST

New DOJ Rule Expands FBI Database to Include Arrestee DNA

A new Justice Department rule scheduled to take effect Jan. 9 expands an FBI crime database to include DNA from all people arrested for federal crimes and noncitizens who are detained. The rule is being criticized by civil libertarians, the Washington Post reports. The measure published on Wednesday “dramatically expands”…

Dec 12, 2008 1:26 PM CST

DOJ Legal Opinion Says Pentagon Must Obey EPA Cleanup Orders

A Justice Department legal opinion tells the Pentagon that it must clean up three sites as ordered by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Washington Post obtained a copy of the opinion by deputy assistant attorney general Steven Bradbury. The Dec. 1 opinion said the Defense Department did not have legal…

Dec 5, 2008 12:11 PM CST