Attorney General

Olson AG Nomination Could Spur Fight

President Bush is intent on choosing the right person to fill the job of attorney general rather than someone who could be easily confirmed, a senior administration official told the Wall Street Journal. Increasingly speculation centers on Ted Olson, a former solicitor general whose wife died in the Sept. 11…

Sep 12, 2007 3:14 PM CDT

House to Probe Governor’s Prosecution

A congressional committee will investigate whether political considerations played a role in the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who is serving a sentence of more than seven years for corruption. “The case could become the centerpiece of a Democratic effort to show that the Justice Department engaged in…

Sep 11, 2007 1:04 PM CDT

Olson Strong Contender for AG

Sources tell the Washington Post that former solicitor general Theodore Olson is a leading contender for the job of attorney general. The suspense should be over soon, the article reports, citing sources who say President Bush is expected to announce his choice to replace Alberto Gonzales by the middle of…

Sep 10, 2007 3:07 PM CDT

Congressman Claims DOJ Race Bias

A congressman accused of bribery says the Justice Department is trying him in Alexandria, Va., because juries there have fewer African-Americans. U.S. Rep. William Jefferson is asking a judge to move his trial to Washington, D.C., where many of the alleged crimes are said to have taken place, the New…

Sep 10, 2007 11:33 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Withdrew ‘Torture Memos’ Speaks Out

A lawyer who headed the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel says in a new book that he resigned from the job in 2004 in hopes that his withdrawal of two controversial memos on interrogation of terrorism suspects would stick. Jack Goldsmith, now a Harvard law professor, considered the so-called…

Sep 10, 2007 11:16 AM CDT

Another DOJ Official Resigns

The number of political appointees at the Justice Department who resigned this past year now stands at about one dozen. Peter Keisler, who led the Justice Department’s civil division, announced yesterday he will leave effective Sept. 21, according to The BLT, the Blog of Legal Times. His nomination for a…

Sep 7, 2007 11:29 AM CDT

AG’s Legacy Debated

Supporters of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales point to accomplishments, such as his creation of a national security division within the Justice Department and his fight against child exploitation. Viet Dinh, who worked in the department’s Office of Legal Counsel, told Legal Times the critics are overlooking Gonzales’ successes. “As for…

Sep 4, 2007 10:20 AM CDT

31 Wins, 6 Losses & 1 Tie

Our scorecard of the Justice Department’s legal war against al-Qaida

Sep 1, 2007 7:30 AM CDT

DOJ Job Applicants Questioned

Inspector General Glenn Fine has sent questionnaires to hundreds of Justice Department job applicants in an effort to learn if political considerations played a role in hiring and firing. The questionnaires (PDF posted by the Washington Post) ask if the applicants were questioned about their party affiliation, campaign contributions, voting…

Aug 31, 2007 3:12 PM CDT

U.S. Prosecutions Drop in Budget Squeeze

Tight budgets at U.S. Attorneys’ offices have forced a drop in prosecutions, especially for drug, white-collar and violent crimes. The offices got actual annual budget increases of only 1.9 percent from 2003 to 2006, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports, as federal spending priorities shifted to the fight against…

Aug 31, 2007 1:28 PM CDT

DOJ Probing Gonzales Testimony

A Justice Department official says he is investigating whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gave false or misleading testimony to Congress. Inspector General Glenn Fine revealed today in a letter that his office is reviewing the testimony of the outgoing attorney general in a joint probe with Office of Professional Responsibility,…

Aug 30, 2007 6:17 PM CDT

Profs: Gonzales Misunderstood Job

There is one simple reason why soon-to-be former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is losing his job, several law professors say: He never understood what he was supposed to be doing. Gonzales seemed to think he should be acting as the president’s personal legal counsel. But in fact, his job was…

Aug 29, 2007 6:17 PM CDT

New AG Will Share Bush Views

Democratic lawmakers are urging President Bush to choose a consensus candidate to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, but administration officials said the goal is to find a candidate who will pursue the right policies. “It is the president’s prerogative to appoint someone who shares his views,” a senior administration official…

Aug 29, 2007 3:33 PM CDT

Two SG Lawyers Step Into Fray

U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement’s appointment to serve as acting attorney general has resulted in a temporary promotion for his deputy Gregory Garre, who will fill Clement’s post on an acting basis. SCOTUSblog cites the “real prospect” that the two Bush policy loyalists could get the jobs on a permanent…

Aug 28, 2007 2:15 PM CDT

Loyalties Contributed to Gonzales’ Fall

When President Bush addressed reporters yesterday about the resignation of Alberto Gonzales, he focused on the attorney general’s critics, saying they had dragged Gonzales’ good name through the mud for political reasons. He praised Gonzales as a “a man of integrity, decency and principle,” and said he was instrumental in…

Aug 28, 2007 10:52 AM CDT