Attorney General

Legal memos justifying drone killings bring controversy for appeals court nominee

Controversy over legal memos justifying drone killings may hold up confirmation of a former Justice Department lawyer’s nomination for a seat on a federal appeals court based in Boston. Both Democrats and Republicans are criticizing nominee David Barron, now a Harvard law professor, for writing the memos when he was…

May 6, 2014 12:33 PM CDT

‘Daily Show’ takes aim at gun-rights legal defense firms

The Daily Show took aim at several law firms that purport to protect gun owners and carriers for a monthly retainer, including a Virginia firm that was co-founded by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. During a segment that aired Tuesday, Daily Show correspondent Jordan Klepper took a humorous look…

Apr 30, 2014 9:00 PM CDT

Some children brought to US illegally qualify for in-state tuition, Va. AG announces

Citing a duty to comply with federal rules and the U.S. Constitution, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has announced that some students living in the state without legal permission will qualify for in-state college tuition without a change in the law. Herring acted after the state legislature failed to approve…

Apr 30, 2014 1:31 PM CDT

Okla. Supreme Court issues 11th-hour stays to 2 pending executions

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has stayed the pending executions of two death row inmates whose fates have become entwined in an ongoing jurisdictional battle with a lower court. The two inmates have successfully challenged the constitutionality of the state’s so-called supplier-secrecy law, which had allowed the state to keep secret…

Apr 23, 2014 6:45 PM CDT

DOJ’s new clemency criteria could benefit nonviolent federal drug offenders

Nonviolent offenders who served at least 10 years of a federal drug sentence and have no ties to gangs or cartels could benefit from the Justice Department’s new clemency criteria. Applicants must be individuals who would have received a significantly lower sentence if sentenced for the same offense today, the…

Apr 23, 2014 5:40 PM CDT

New Hampshire AG seeks to fast-track hearing on county attorney’s removal

New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster has asked a judge to fast-track a hearing on his petition to remove a county attorney from office. Foster is seeking to remove veteran Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams from office over allegations of sexual harassment and mishandling funds, the Concord Monitor reports. The…

Apr 22, 2014 10:15 PM CDT

North Carolina attorney general finally apologizes to his opponent from 2000

Better late than never. After 14 years, North Carolina attorney general Roy Cooper has finally put an end to a feud that stemmed from his initial election to the job he continues to hold. The Charlotte Observer and the Associated Press reported that Cooper apologized to his 2000 opponent, Dan…

Apr 21, 2014 6:26 PM CDT

Excessive and deadly force by Albuquerque police violated civil rights, Justice Department concludes

The U.S. Justice Department has concluded that police in Albuquerque, N.M., committed civil rights violations by using excessive and deadly force in inappropriate situations. Jocelyn Samuels, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said the department found “a pattern or practice of systemic deficiencies,” report the…

Apr 11, 2014 4:35 PM CDT

Does classified report show that CIA sent DOJ inaccurate info on harsh interrogations?

A classified report by the Senate Intelligence Committee reportedly says the CIA sent flawed information about its harsh interrogations to the Justice Department, impeding proper analysis of the legality of those methods. McClatchy News says the secret report calls into question the Justice Department’s legal opinions finding that waterboarding and…

Apr 11, 2014 1:37 PM CDT

Former AG Alberto Gonzales is new law dean at Belmont

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will take over as dean of the law school at Belmont University on June 1. Gonzales takes the place of Jeff Kinsler, who will become a full-time faculty member, according to the Tennessean and a press release. Kinsler was founding dean of the law school,…

Apr 3, 2014 12:51 PM CDT

Pointing to recent NYC conviction, AG Eric Holder calls for more civilian terrorism trials

The terrorism-support conviction of an adviser to Osama bin Laden by a civilian jury in federal court in New York City last month shows that the nation’s criminal justice system is working and should be relied on in other such cases, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday in a…

Apr 1, 2014 8:30 PM CDT

More Fast and Furious fallout: Former US attorney is reprimanded for leaking documents

Former U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke of Arizona has been reprimanded for leaking two classified documents about Operation Fast and Furious, the flawed gun-running sting that allowed illegal firearms to be smuggled across the border. Burke consented to the reprimand, according to the order (PDF) issued last Thursday. He told the…

Mar 31, 2014 1:08 PM CDT

US will recognize same-sex marriages performed in Michigan

Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that the federal government will recognize around 300 same-sex marriages performed in Michigan last weekend before a federal appeals court stayed a judge’s ruling. Holder announced the decision today, report the Chicago Sun-Times and the Washington Post. The action means the couples will be…

Mar 28, 2014 2:30 PM CDT

Lawyer sues to learn whether the FBI accessed his law firm’s computers

A Virginia lawyer wants to know whether the FBI obtained access to his law firm’s computers as part of an investigation into his possession of three classified documents. Kel McClanahan filed a federal suit last Friday in Washington, D.C., seeking records under the Freedom of Information Act that would answer…

Mar 26, 2014 2:49 PM CDT

Toyota to pay $1.2B in deferred prosecution agreement related to sudden-acceleration disclosures

Updated and corrected: Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that Toyota will pay $1.2 billion in a deferred prosecution agreement related to its disclosures about sudden-acceleration problems. Holder announced the agreement today, report USA Today and a press release. The criminal penalty is the largest of its kind imposed on…

Mar 19, 2014 12:05 PM CDT