Attorney General

Afternoon Briefs: AG Barr blasts prosecutors and ‘prancing punks;’ self-defense bid fails for A$AP Rocky

• On Monday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr blasted progressive prosecutors and “prancing punks” who recently pelted police with water. District attorneys who style themselves as social justice reformers “spend their time undercutting the police, letting criminals off the hook, and refusing to enforce the law,” Barr said in his…

Aug 14, 2019 4:28 PM CDT

Justice Department takes step to decertify union for immigration judges

The U.S. Department of Justice took a step Friday to decertify the union for immigration judges by filing a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority. The petition asks the authority to determine whether the union should have its certification revoked because its members are management employees who aren’t allowed…

Aug 12, 2019 10:31 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge’s sex-bias accuser accused of seeking attention; lawyer disbarred for office assault

• A California appellate judge accused of longtime sexual harassment is a friendly man now being judged through the lens of the #MeToo era, his lawyer told an ethics panel Monday. Lawyer Paul Meyer told the panel that Justice Jeffrey Johnson is the victim of “vile” rumors spread in part…

Aug 6, 2019 4:40 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: AG Barr restricts asylum in family-ties cases; prosecutors allege ‘perversion of justice’

• U.S. Attorney General William Barr has issued a decision that will make it tougher for immigrants to seek asylum based on persecution of immediate family members. Barr reversed a ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals that allowed an immigrant to seek asylum because his father was targeted by…

Jul 29, 2019 4:30 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: US to resume federal executions; immigration lawyer accused of paying bribes for roster lists

• The U.S. Department of Justice plans to resume executions after a 16-year hiatus. Attorney General William Barr adopted a new lethal-injection protocol that replaces a three-drug cocktail with a single drug—pentobarbital. Executions have been scheduled for five death-row inmates. (The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Department of…

Jul 25, 2019 4:53 PM CDT

Tech companies under fire: Facebook to pay $5B, antitrust probe opened, AG Barr criticizes encryption

Technology companies are under fire by the Trump administration. On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Facebook will pay a record $5 billion privacy penalty to settle allegations that the company deceived users about their ability to control disclosure of their personal information. The Washington Post has coverage. The…

Jul 24, 2019 10:27 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer pleads guilty to courthouse parachute jump; cat declawing banned in this state

• The U.S. Department of Justice has informed former special counsel Robert Mueller that he is expected to confine his congressional testimony Wednesday to the boundaries of his public report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The DOJ warned that Mueller shouldn’t discuss the conduct of uncharged third…

Jul 23, 2019 4:24 PM CDT

As some federal offenders win early release, new tool is unveiled to evaluate likelihood of recidivism

Thousands of federal prisoners already are benefiting from early release reforms in the criminal justice reform bill known as the First Step Act, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed Friday. The department announced that more than 3,100 inmates are being released from federal prison because of an increase in good…

Jul 22, 2019 12:42 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: House holds attorney general in contempt; opioid executives charged

• The U.S. House voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over documents on now-scuttled plans to add a citizenship question to the census. The vote refers the case to the Justice Department for prosecution of…

Jul 18, 2019 4:05 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Feds won’t charge cop in Eric Garner’s chokehold death, Cardi B defends her courtroom attire

• The U.S. Justice Department won’t charge the New York City police officer who put Eric Garner in a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. Garner cried out, “I can’t breathe” before his death. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said the officer won’t be charged with a civil…

Jul 16, 2019 6:15 PM CDT

Trump drops census citizenship question, says data gathered elsewhere might be used in state redistricting

After a loss in the U.S. Supreme Court, President Donald Trump has announced that he won’t add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

Jul 12, 2019 9:46 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: James Comey’s daughter prosecutes Epstein; cop accused of planting drugs in cars

• A daughter of former FBI Director James Comey is one of the lead prosecutors in the federal sex trafficking case against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. Maurene Comey is an assistant U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton were both acquaintances of Epstein, leading some conspiracy…

Jul 11, 2019 4:30 PM CDT

Federal judge won’t allow Justice Department to switch lawyers in census citizenship question case

Updated: A federal judge in Manhattan says he won’t allow the Department of Justice to switch lawyers in a challenge to a census citizenship question absent “satisfactory reasons” for the decision.

Jul 10, 2019 9:26 AM CDT

DOJ replaces lawyers defending citizenship question after flip-flop; law prof suggests this argument

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Sunday that it is replacing its legal team in the court battle over a census citizenship question after President Donald Trump contradicted the lawyers’ in-court assertion that the question would be dropped from the census.

Jul 8, 2019 10:14 AM CDT

AG Barr announces funding, future plans to address public safety crisis in rural Alaska

A month after U.S. Attorney General William Barr visited Alaska to investigate the high rates of sexual assault and family violence and low police presence in rural communities, he has declared a law enforcement emergency in the state.

Jul 1, 2019 9:35 AM CDT