Attorney General

AG Says Obama May Not Get Sensitive Legal Opinions Till January

Barack Obama’s Justice Department transition team may not be able to see some sensitive legal opinions until after the January inauguration, even though some of the members have received security clearances. At a news conference yesterday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said other entities that sought legal opinions by the Office…

Dec 4, 2008 2:01 PM CST

Ex-DOJ Official on Leave from Hunton as US Attorney Probe Progresses

The former chief of staff for ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has taken a leave of absence from Hunton & Williams as an investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys progresses. A Hunton spokesman told the Washington Post that the former Justice official, D. Kyle Sampson, is on leave “pending…

Dec 3, 2008 5:10 PM CST

Senator Vows to Raise Pardon Issue in Hearings on AG Nominee Holder

Republican Sen. Arlen Specter says Eric Holder’s role in a controversial pardon will be a “big question” at his confirmation hearing for U.S. attorney general. Holder’s involvement in the pardon of fugitive financier March Rich, “the biggest misstep of his career,” has raised the hackles of some Republicans, the New…

Dec 2, 2008 2:02 PM CST

Judge Tosses Indictments of Vice President Cheney, Ex-AG Gonzales

A Texas judge has dismissed indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that had been brought by a controversial prosecutor nearing the end of his term. Judge Manuel Banales on Monday granted motions to quash because alternate grand jurors were improperly allowed to deliberate the…

Dec 2, 2008 12:31 PM CST

No Supreme Court Appeal in Case that Put Prosecutor Tactics on Trial

Prosecutors have declined to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling that threw out 13 indictments because the government pressured the defendants’ employer to stop paying their legal fees. The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in August that prosecutors violated the employees’…

Dec 2, 2008 12:00 PM CST

Holder Announced as Obama’s Choice for Attorney General

Barack Obama announced Eric Holder as his choice for attorney general this morning when the president-elect formally revealed his national security team at a Chicago news conference. Holder will be the first African-American to head the Justice Department. A New York Times profile of Holder reaches back to his childhood,…

Dec 1, 2008 3:38 PM CST

Wash. Justice Now Admits ‘Tyrant’ Outburst During Mukasey Speech

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders now admits he stood and called Attorney General Michael Mukasey a “tyrant” during a speech last week, but he says some time elapsed before the attorney general collapsed. Sanders told the Seattle Times that he spoke up after hearing Mukasey defend Bush administration…

Nov 26, 2008 12:05 PM CST

Wash. Justice Denies Heckling Mukasey Immediately Before AG’s Collapse

Updated: A Washington Supreme Court justice accused of heckling U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey before his collapse says he wasn’t in the room at the time the AG went down. Michelle Malkin is among the bloggers reporting on a rumor that the state justice, Richard Sanders, had shouted “tyrant” before…

Nov 25, 2008 12:24 PM CST

Feeling Fine After Collapse, Mukasey Returns to Work

Attorney General Michael Mukasey is returning to work this afternoon after his collapse yesterday evening while giving a speech on national security to the Federalist Society in Washington, D.C. Mukasey told reporters that he felt great as he left George Washington University Medical Center where he stayed the night for…

Nov 21, 2008 5:45 PM CST

No Indication Stroke Caused Mukasey’s Collapse, Spokeswoman Says

Updated: Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed while giving a speech on national security to the Federalist Society in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, the Wall Street Journal reported. He was taken to George Washington University Medical Center. A spokeswoman for the attorney general said Friday morning that he is doing…

Nov 21, 2008 3:34 AM CST

Former Solicitor General Will Rejoin King & Spalding

Former Solicitor General Paul Clement is heading back to his former law firm. King & Spalding announced in a press release that Clement will rejoin the firm’s Washington, D.C., office to establish an expanded national appellate practice and a strategic counseling practice. The well-respected Clement served seven years as solicitor…

Nov 20, 2008 4:17 PM CST

Obama Urged to Withdraw DOJ’s Legal Opinions on Terrorism

Barack Obama is being urged to restore public confidence in the Justice Department by keeping politics out of decision-making and reforming the Office of Legal Counsel. The critics say former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales damaged the department by allowing politics to influence hiring and firing, and that has to change,…

Nov 13, 2008 3:57 PM CST

Antitrust Chief Resigns; Obama Likely to Seek Aggressive Successor

The Justice Department’s antitrust chief has announced his resignation. Assistant attorney general Thomas Barnett, who headed the antitrust division since 2005, will leave on Nov. 19, Reuters reports. Barnett was known for aggressive enforcement of laws barring pricing conspiracies, but critics said he too-readily approved mergers between market-dominating companies, the…

Nov 7, 2008 6:22 PM CST

Will a Woman be Appointed Solicitor General?

The names of several women are being bandied about as possible appointees to the Justice Department’s solicitor general post. A new president typically appoints a new solicitor general before filling other Justice Department posts, and the job could go to a woman, according to USA Today. No female has previously…

Nov 7, 2008 1:53 PM CST

WilmerHale Partner to Lead Justice Department Transition Team

Two Justice Department veterans who are now partners at large law firms will be leading the DOJ transition team for Barack Obama. WilmerHale partner David Ogden will be heading the team, the Washington Post reports at its blog 44: Transition to Power. Jenner & Block partner Thomas Perrelli will be…

Nov 7, 2008 12:22 PM CST