Attorney General

DOJ approved NSA Internet data searches for hacking by foreign governments, Snowden documents reveal

The Justice Department secretly approved searches of Internet data originating abroad for evidence of hacking by foreign governments, according to new documents from Edward Snowden. Justice Department lawyers wrote two memos in 2012 allowing the warrantless searches by the National Security Agency for Internet addresses and patterns of computer intrusions…

Jun 4, 2015 10:54 AM CDT

Report: FBI uses fake companies to disguise surveillance planes with video and cellphone technology

The FBI operates a fleet of low-flying aircraft equipped with video and cellphone surveillance technology that generally gather information without judicial approval, according to an investigative report. The airplanes operate under the names of fake companies, including FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation and PXW Services, the Associated Press reports.…

Jun 2, 2015 10:50 AM CDT

Obama won’t seek SCOTUS intervention on blocked immigration plans after adverse 5th Circuit ruling

The Obama administration won’t ask the U.S. Supreme Court to allow him immediately to implement an immigration program that would defer deportation for millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday. Instead, the administration will defend its planned executive actions on the merits…

May 28, 2015 1:22 PM CDT

DOJ reaches deal on Cleveland policing; demonstrations follow officer’s acquittal

Updated: The U.S. Justice Department has reached a settlement with Cleveland over an alleged pattern of unconstitutional policing, officials announced on Tuesday. The deal includes some of the most exacting standards for policing in the nation, the New York Times reports. According to the settlement: The police force will document…

May 26, 2015 8:47 AM CDT

AG Loretta Lynch announces ‘pattern and practice’ probe of Baltimore police practices

The Department of Justice will conduct a “pattern and practice” investigation of potential civil rights violations in Baltimore, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced at a Friday press conference. Describing the probe as a collaborative effort pursued at the request of city officials and with the consent of police, Lynch…

May 8, 2015 11:45 AM CDT

Cozen O’Connor forms state attorneys general practice with Dickstein Shapiro hires

Cozen O’Connor is adding more lawyers to its ranks after announcing last month that it was acquiring 60 lawyers in a merger with a Chicago law firm. Cozen is forming a state attorneys general practice with its hire of eight lawyers and two professionals from Dickstein Shapiro, the National Law…

May 7, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Baltimore mayor seeks Justice Department probe of police practices in her city

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether police practices in her city are violating civil rights. In a news conference on Wednesday, Rawlings-Blake said the police department has improved, resulting in fewer complaints of police brutality, but more work needs to be done, the…

May 6, 2015 10:36 AM CDT

New attorney general brings men in blazers to spinning class

New U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch didn’t come alone to a popular spinning class in Brooklyn on Sunday. Lynch apparently came to the class with three members of her security detail, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports. Outside the classroom stood “two sizable men in blazers and earpieces,” the…

May 5, 2015 11:10 AM CDT

Winston chairman will earn $1,300 an hour to represent Ferguson in Justice Department probe

Ferguson, Missouri, will pay the chairman of Winston & Strawn $1,335 an hour to represent the city in connection with a Justice Department probe that found “a pattern of unconstitutional policing” in the city. Ferguson’s city council hired Chicago lawyer Dan Webb in a closed-door meeting March 27, the St.…

May 5, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Justice Department to review federal use of stingray devices

The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing use of stingray devices by federal agencies and will reveal more information about why the devices are used, according to a published report. The stingray devices, also known by the names “hailstorm” and “dirtbox,” mimic cellphone towers to scan possibly thousands of cellphones and…

May 4, 2015 11:12 AM CDT

In light of Baltimore rioting, new attorney general pledges ‘full resources of Justice Department’

At least 15 police officers were injured in rioting in Baltimore on Monday, the day of the funeral for 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died after his spine was injured, a condition that many insist was sustained while he was in police custody. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake blamed “thugs” for the…

Apr 28, 2015 6:53 AM CDT

Loretta Lynch is confirmed as attorney general

Updated: The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as U.S. attorney general after a vote earlier today to end debate on her nomination. Lynch, who served as the Brooklyn U.S. attorney, is the first black woman to be attorney general. Ten Republicans voted with Democrats to approve…

Apr 23, 2015 12:54 PM CDT

Loretta Lynch’s nomination for attorney general moves forward

The U.S. Senate has scheduled a Thursday vote on the nomination of Loretta Lynch to replace Eric Holder as attorney general. Lynch’s nomination moved forward after the Senate reached a deal on a human trafficking bill, report the New York Times, the Associated Press and the National Law Journal. Senate…

Apr 22, 2015 9:01 AM CDT

Justice Department opens inquiry into police treatment of Freddie Gray, who died after spinal injury

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights probe into the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who died after his spine was injured while in the custody of Baltimore police. Six officers involved in the arrest have been suspended with pay while Baltimore also investigates Gray’s treatment,…

Apr 22, 2015 7:41 AM CDT

Flawed FBI hair testimony was widespread in criminal cases before 2000, initial analysis finds

An initial government review of hair analysis testimony by 28 FBI experts has found all but two of them gave flawed testimony favoring the prosecution in most trials where they testified before the year 2000. The review found the 26 hair examiners overstated forensic hair matches in more than 95…

Apr 20, 2015 9:21 AM CDT