Attorney General

US will pay Navajo Nation $554M to settle suit claiming mismanagement of resources

The United States has agreed to pay the Navajo Nation $554 million in a record settlement with an American tribe in litigation over mismanagement of tribal resources. The payment settles a 2006 lawsuit claiming that the U.S. government failed to maximize profits when it leased Navajo land for purposes such…

Sep 26, 2014 10:00 AM CDT

Attorney General Eric Holder resigns but ‘will never leave the work’

Updated: With “very mixed emotions,” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation at a press conference Thursday afternoon. Holder said that while he will leave the Department of Justice, he will “never leave the work. I will continue to serve and try to find ways to make our nation…

Sep 25, 2014 3:51 PM CDT

Prison population drops along with the crime rate, Holder says

The federal prison population has dropped by about 4,800 inmates in the past year, and the downward trend is expected to continue, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a speech on Tuesday. The federal prison population is expected to drop by an additional 2,200 inmates in fiscal year 2015 and…

Sep 24, 2014 8:57 AM CDT

Fired John Doe prosecutor can remain anonymous in suit against Justice Department, judge rules

A federal prosecutor who claims he was wrongly fired because of an anxiety disorder can keep his name a secret in his lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said the John Doe plaintiff could have trouble doing his job…

Sep 11, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

Justice Department to launch broad civil rights probe of Ferguson police

The U.S. Justice Department is set to announce a broad civil rights probe of the police department in Ferguson, Missouri, that is in addition to its investigation of the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson officer. According to anonymous sources who spoke with the Washington Post,…

Sep 4, 2014 9:08 AM CDT

Bank of America to pay record $16.6B in mortgage-securities settlement with US

Bank of America has agreed to pay a record $16.65 billion settlement for misrepresenting the quality of toxic mortgage securities. The bank will pay $9.65 billion to six states and several federal agencies. It will also provide $7 billion in consumer relief that includes reducing principal owed by underwater homeowners…

Aug 21, 2014 2:58 PM CDT

Louisiana suit claims State Farm emphasizes costs over safety with preferred auto repair shops

A lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana accuses State Farm of steering customers to preferred repair shops for damaged vehicles, in violation of state unfair-practices and monopolies laws. Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell filed the suit Tuesday in state court in Baton Rouge, report the New Orleans Times-Picayune and…

Aug 21, 2014 11:15 AM CDT

Holder, who has made police misconduct cases a priority, will travel to Ferguson

Attorney General Eric Holder travels to Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday where he will meet with community members and FBI agents conducting a civil-rights investigation. President Obama announced Holder’s plans on Monday, report the New York Times, the Washington Post and the National Law Journal. Holder’s visit comes after National Guard…

Aug 19, 2014 12:22 PM CDT

FBI worker’s traffic citation becomes a federal case

A civilian investigative specialist for the FBI, ticketed in a Washington, D.C., fender bender for allegedly “changing lanes without caution,” will have his case heard in federal court. The case was removed to federal court from the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles’ Adjudication Services office because the federal government doesn’t…

Aug 18, 2014 4:43 PM CDT

Harvard law prof calls for arrest of Ferguson cop; autopsy finds teen was shot at least six times

Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree is calling for the arrest of the police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9. Appearing Sunday on Meet the Press, Ogletree commented after host Andrea Mitchell noted that police still have not released details of the shooting,…

Aug 18, 2014 12:16 PM CDT

Immigration judge sues Justice Department, claims recusal order chills her free-speech rights

An immigration judge in Los Angeles has sued the Justice Department for alleged discrimination and violations of her First Amendment rights after she was ordered to recuse in cases of Iranian immigrants. Judge A. Ashley Tabaddor claims in the suit (PDF) that she was ordered to recuse in 2012 because…

Aug 14, 2014 4:08 PM CDT

Ensuring immigrant detainees have lawyers also benefits court system, DOJ official says

Immigration detainees face an uphill battle to avoid deportation, and oftentimes they have to face government lawyers without representation of their own. A Saturday panel that took place during the ABA Annual Meeting explored some of the reasons why so many immigrants are forced to go pro se, and spoke…

Aug 9, 2014 10:37 PM CDT

US government violated labor laws when it delayed paychecks during shutdown, judge says

A judge with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has refused to dismiss a lawsuit contending that federal workers should have been paid on time during the government shutdown last fall. Chief Judge Patricia Campbell-Smith ruled (PDF) last Thursday that the federal government violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act…

Aug 5, 2014 4:27 PM CDT

Attorney General Holder says sentencing based on predictive data discriminates

Attorney General Eric Holder says judges rely too much on predictive data in determining criminal sentences, and that it often results in minorities being treated unfairly, the Associated Press reports. Holder, in a speech Friday at the annual meeting of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Philadelphia, said…

Aug 1, 2014 4:58 PM CDT

Citi to pay $7B in latest settlement of US claims that sub-par mortgages caused financial crisis

A $7 billion pact with Citigroup is the latest announced settlement of claims by the U.S. that sub-par mortgages knowingly sold by banks to unwitting investors in the form of derivative products, including Citi’s securitized loans caused the financial crisis that began in 2008, The bank will pay $4 billion…

Jul 14, 2014 4:55 PM CDT