Attorney General

Justice Department tells court it won’t defend parts of the health law on pre-existing conditions

The U.S. Justice Department has told a Texas federal court that it won’t defend provisions in the Affordable Care Act that ban insurers from refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions and from charging them more money.

Jun 8, 2018 2:14 PM CDT

Does law requiring immigration cooperation run afoul of sports betting decision? Judge thinks so

A federal law requiring local governments to cooperate in immigration enforcement violates the anti-commandeering doctrine cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on sports betting, a federal judge says in a decision that requires the Justice Department to release grant money to the city of Philadelphia.

Jun 7, 2018 5:12 PM CDT

DOJ to provide lawmakers with more information regarding FBI informant in Trump campaign

The Department of Justice has agreed to brief lawmakers with additional information regarding the FBI’s use of a confidential informant to investigate if Trump campaign advisers had ties to Russia. The Washington Post, CNN and the Hill all have coverage. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. and the House Intelligence Committee chairman,…

Jun 7, 2018 10:05 AM CDT

Several lawyers reportedly rejected potential candidacy for No. 3 post at Justice Department

Several lawyers approached about the possibility of an appointment to the No. 3 post at the U.S. Justice Department reportedly rejected the potential candidacy.

Jun 5, 2018 12:35 PM CDT

ABA expresses concern about proposal to bar use of trafficking funds for expungement help

The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime should reinstate funding to provide representation for trafficking victims seeking to expunge their criminal records, the ABA says in a letter released Monday. Vacating and expunging criminal convictions “are necessary final escapes” for trafficking victims who want to move on with their…

Jun 4, 2018 4:25 PM CDT

Forcibly separating families ‘violates basic standards of human decency,’ ABA president says

Separating immigrant children from their parents at the southern border is "unnecessarily cruel" and the ABA "strongly opposes" the policy, ABA President Hilarie Bass said in a statement Wednesday. “Separating children from their parents not only violates due process, it is antithetical to the very human values on which this country was founded and sets a terrible example for the rest of the world,” the statement says. “It should be stopped immediately.”

May 30, 2018 3:13 PM CDT

Trump reportedly asked Sessions to unrecuse himself; special counsel is said to be investigating

President Donald Trump reportedly asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reverse his decision to recuse himself in the investigation of Russian influence in March 2017 during a dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump’s request—rejected by Sessions—is being investigated by the special counsel, along with Trump's efforts to get the attorney general to resign, the New York Times reports in a story based on anonymous current and former administration officials.

May 30, 2018 11:41 AM CDT

Sessions rules immigration judges have no authority to indefinitely suspend cases

Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruled on Thursday that immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals do not have the general authority to indefinitely suspend cases through administrative closures.

May 18, 2018 11:10 AM CDT

Sessions’ promise to prosecute all illegal entry raises concerns about court resources

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday that federal prosecutors will start bringing illegal entry charges against everyone caught crossing the border without authorization, “as many of those cases as humanly possible until we get to 100 percent.”

May 10, 2018 8:00 AM CDT

Sessions says parents will likely be separated from children after crossing the border illegally

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Monday that he is implementing a zero-tolerance policy for illegal crossings at the Southwest border and aims to prosecute “as many of those cases as humanly possible until we get to 100 percent.”

May 8, 2018 12:12 PM CDT

New York AG Schneiderman resigns amid allegations he physically abused women

Updated: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced his resignation Monday night, hours after the New Yorker magazine published allegations by four women who said he physically abused them.

May 8, 2018 9:09 AM CDT

Sessions sends more prosecutors, supervisory judges to border to handle immigration cases

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday he is responding to the “crisis at the Southwest border” with additional prosecutors and the use of supervisory immigration judges. Sessions said in a press release that 35 new assistant U.S. attorney positions have been allocated to U.S. attorney’s offices along the Southwest border.…

May 3, 2018 3:38 PM CDT

Leave immigration law precedent on asylum for crime victims intact, ABA urges in amicus brief

The United States should continue to make asylum available for victims of crimes that aren’t being addressed by immigrants’ home countries, the ABA says in an amicus brief filed April 27.

Apr 30, 2018 7:30 AM CDT

Judge tosses Manafort’s suit challenging ‘unmoored’ jurisdiction grant to Mueller

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has tossed a lawsuit filed by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort challenging the broad grant of jurisdiction given to special counsel Robert Mueller. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled Friday against Manafort, who has been indicted on charges of money laundering and…

Apr 27, 2018 2:35 PM CDT

7th Circuit upholds nationwide injunction barring grant holdbacks for sanctuary cities

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a nationwide injunction that barred the U.S. Justice Department from withholding public safety grants from sanctuary cities that don’t cooperate in immigration enforcement.

Apr 19, 2018 3:16 PM CDT