Attorney General

Secret DOJ Opinions Back Harsh Interrogations

The New York Times reveals in a story today that the Justice Department issued two secret opinions endorsing harsh interrogations just months after a December 2004 public opinion appeared to condemn such tactics. The first opinion explicitly allowed a combination of techniques to be used on terrorism suspects, including slapping…

Oct 4, 2007 1:30 PM CDT

Efforts to Protect Judges Fall Short

Threats against federal judges are rising, yet efforts to improve protection for them are “languishing,” according to a Justice Department report (PDF). The U.S. Marshals Service, charged with protecting federal judges, had a backlog of 1,190 reported threats to review as of October 2006, according to the Associated Press. In…

Oct 4, 2007 10:42 AM CDT

White House Wiretap Secrecy a ‘Legal Mess’

A former Justice Department official told a Senate committee yesterday that he encountered “a legal mess” when reviewing a secret terrorism eavesdropping program. Jack L. Goldsmith, who formerly led the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel, said White House secrecy and its belief in executive power made it difficult to review…

Oct 3, 2007 3:18 PM CDT

KPMG Judge Backs Laws to Curb Prosecutors

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of New York isn’t done making news with his comments on strong-arm prosecution tactics. This time he’s speaking out at a seminar for criminal defense lawyers. Kaplan is known for his decision to dismiss charges against 13 KPMG defendants because the government pressured the accounting…

Sep 28, 2007 11:42 AM CDT

Mukasey Among Targets in Marshals’ Complaint

Federal marshals assigned to protect Michael Mukasey and another federal judge say they were treated more like servants than security officers. The 2005 employee grievance says marshals had to take out the trash and carry groceries and golf clubs for the two judges and their wives. Marshals were not allowed…

Sep 26, 2007 12:35 PM CDT

New AG Must Go on Hiring Spree

The first order of business for Michael Mukasey if he is confirmed as attorney general will be to fill the large number of vacancies in his office. Top positions in the department are usually filled in a collaborative process involving the attorney general, the Office of White House Counsel and…

Sep 25, 2007 10:55 AM CDT

Mukasey Record: Prickly and Independent

Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey is variously described as someone who is fiercely independent, fiercely intelligent, impatient and injudicious in articles published in the past few days. A Sunday New York Times article focuses on Mukasey’s decisions permitting indefinite detentions of potential terrorism witnesses. A lawyer for one such witness,…

Sep 24, 2007 4:47 PM CDT

U.S. Attorney in Minneapolis Under Investigation

Sources tell the Washington Post that the U.S. attorney in Minneapolis is under investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The probe focuses on allegations that the prosecutor, Rachel Paulose, failed to keep classified information secure, made racist comments about an employee, and retaliated against those who disagreed with…

Sep 24, 2007 11:51 AM CDT

Mukasey Clashed with 2nd Circuit on Bias Case

Lawyers who appeared before Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey say he was conservative but fair. But an appeals court took issue with two of his rulings regarding an officer’s discrimination suit against the New York Police Department, the Washington Post reports. The plaintiff, Karen Sorlucco, claimed she was fired because…

Sep 21, 2007 7:01 PM CDT

Sheik Trial Left Mukasey ‘Shaken’

The trial of sheik Omar Abdel Rahman was a microcosm for the terrorism issues that Michael Mukasey will face if he is confirmed as attorney general. After the nine-month trial, Mukasey sentenced the sheik in 1996 to life in prison for a plot to bomb New York landmarks. Mukasey said…

Sep 20, 2007 2:53 PM CDT

Mukasey Backed Terrorism Fight

Michael Mukasey has no public record on many issues of importance to movement conservatives, but he’s viewed as supporting the war on terrorism. A retired judge who is President Bush’s nominee for attorney general, Mukasey has supported the administration’s assertion of broad powers in terrorism cases, the New York Times…

Sep 18, 2007 3:15 PM CDT

New Acting AG Named

President Bush’s announcement that he was nominating Michael B. Mukasey to become attorney general was not the surprising part of his press conference this morning. Mukasey’s nomination was reported this weekend. More surprising was Bush’s announcement that Peter Keisler, who oversaw the department’s civil division, was taking over as acting…

Sep 17, 2007 3:02 PM CDT

Bush Nominates Mukasey as AG

Updated: President Bush formally announced this morning that he is nominating retired federal judge Michael B. Mukasey to become attorney general. Bush told reporters at this morning’s press conference that Mukasey is “clear-eyed” to the terrorist threat. Bush and Mukasey’s complete remarks were published in a White House press release.…

Sep 17, 2007 2:44 PM CDT

AG Nomination Should Avoid Past Errors

As President George W. Bush decides who should succeed Alberto Gonzales, one consideration should be paramount, observers say: Whether the new attorney general will focus on the best interests of the country rather than partisan politics. “The nation’s top lawyers may have broken the law, and even may have sent…

Sep 13, 2007 11:26 PM CDT

Ted Olson’s AG Chances Dimming

The short list of possible nominees for attorney general is changing. Former solicitor general Ted Olson may need to be crossed off the list following a blunt assessment of his chances from the Senate majority leader, the Washington Post reports. “Ted Olson will not be confirmed,” said Sen. Harry Reid,…

Sep 13, 2007 3:10 PM CDT