Attorney General

Will Obama Need a New AG? Holder Says He’s Not Sure He’s Staying On

Speaking to law students at the University of Baltimore, Eric Holder said Thursday he hasn’t decided whether he plans to remain Attorney General during President Barack Obama’s second term. Holder said it’s a matter he needs to discuss with the president and his family. “That’s something that I’m in the…

Nov 8, 2012 10:10 PM CST

Voters OK Recreational Pot in Two States; Colo. Governor: Don’t Break Out the Cheetos

Voters in Colorado and Washington state have approved legalization of marijuana for recreational use, setting up a conflict with the federal law that outlaws the drug. The marijuana measures allow adults to buy small amounts of marijuana at special stores, report the Denver Post and the Seattle Times. According to…

Nov 7, 2012 1:11 PM CST

San Diego Deputy DA Faces Misdemeanor Ticket Fixing Charges

Allison Worden reportedly tried to get out of a traffic ticket—for not wearing a seatbelt—by telling the officer she was a San Diego deputy district attorney. When that didn’t work, authorities say she persuaded a police sergeant friend to destroy the tickets for herself and a fellow deputy district attorney,…

Oct 26, 2012 7:31 PM CDT

Texas AG Continues Spat over International Election Monitors with ‘Bring It’ Tweet

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has a message for international poll watchers protesting his threat to prosecute them: “Bring it.” Abbott delivered the challenge in a tweet to the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, the Associated Press reports. The OSCE sends observers to poll locations throughout the United…

Oct 26, 2012 1:27 PM CDT

DOJ Suit Claims Miss. Town Runs ‘School-to-Prison Pipeline,’ Says Flatulence Can Net Jail Time

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit claiming students in Meridian, Miss., are arrested on the recommendation of school officials and jailed for days at a time without a probable cause hearing, regardless of the severity of the alleged offense. The suit claims authorities in Meridian and Lauderdale County…

Oct 25, 2012 2:19 PM CDT

DOJ Alleges B of A, Countrywide Defrauded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; Seeks $1 Billion in Damages

The Justice Department announced Wednesday a mortgage fraud lawsuit filed against Bank of America, alleging that the corporation engaged in a scheme to defraud federal loan programs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to a press release from Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York,…

Oct 24, 2012 5:25 PM CDT

DC AG Criticizes ‘Vituperative Rhetoric’ in Judge Lamberth’s ‘Orwellian World’ Opinion

The District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General is taking issue with a federal judge’s scathing opinion finding that city attorneys violated a discovery order. In a motion filed last Friday, District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin Nathan ramps up the war of words, accusing U.S. District Judge Royce…

Oct 17, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: SCOTUSblog Hits 10-Year Mark; Building an Affordable Suit Wardrobe

Landmark Log-in Ten years ago this First Monday, SCOTUSBlog was born. Tom Goldstein and (his wife) Amy Howe’s blog “had 30 hits, and [we] were astonished; really, we were too embarrassed to quit, once we had a few readers,” Goldstein wrote at SCOTUSBlog. “Almost a decade later, on the day…

Oct 5, 2012 2:30 PM CDT

Lawmakers Critical of Litigation Quid Pro Quo Between DOJ and St. Paul Officials

Lawmakers who became aware of a quid pro quo between the Justice Department and city officials in St. Paul, Minn., are raising concerns about the deal. The Washington Post reports that four Republican lawmakers are criticizing the Justice Department’s decision to abandon support of a lawsuit against the city in…

Sep 28, 2012 1:37 PM CDT

IG Report Blames DOJ Prosecutors, ATF Agents for ‘Fast and Furious,’ Seeks Discipline Probe of 14

In a scathing report made public Wednesday about the botched Operation Fast and Furious federal gun trafficking investigation, an inspector general of the U.S. Department of Justice called for disciplinary reviews of 14 current and former employees. In the report (PDF), inspector general Michael Horowitz put primary blame on what…

Sep 19, 2012 8:45 PM CDT

DOJ Won’t Prosecute Anyone in Deaths of Two Overseas Detainees Interrogated by CIA

Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that he will not bring any prosecutions in the deaths of two overseas detainees who were interrogated by CIA officials. Holder did not identify the detainees who died, but prior reports have suggested they were Gul Rahman,who died at a secret CIA prison in…

Aug 31, 2012 11:22 AM CDT

Eric Holder Speaks at Lavender Law Conference, Seeks Help from LGBT Lawyers

Eric Holder, speaking Thursday at the LGBT Bar Association’s Lavender Law Conference, told the Washington, D.C., audience that they are responsible for helping the Obama administration continue its quest for gay equality. The U.S. attorney general was a keynote speaker at the event, the Washington Blade reports. To an audience…

Aug 24, 2012 7:38 PM CDT

Food Company Settles Case After Diverting Pet Food to Federal Prison

An East Texas-based food company specializing in fajita meat has agreed to pay $392,000 to settle a dispute over how its resale of meat intended for pet food ended up on plates in federal prisons. At issue were raw “beef trimmings” that were supposed to be used for cans of…

Aug 20, 2012 7:24 PM CDT

House Committee Sues AG Holder for Civil Contempt, Asks Judge to Nix Obama Executive Privilege Claim

Setting the stage for a constitutional showdown during a presidential election year, an expected effort has begun to enforce a historic contempt citation of a sitting U.S. attorney general by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this summer. On Monday, the House Oversight Committee filed a federal civil contempt lawsuit…

Aug 13, 2012 6:30 PM CDT

Coalition of Nearly 70 Former Judges, Prosecutors Urge High Court to Hear Gov’t Misconduct Dispute

Nearly 70 former federal judges and prosecutors are taking the side of a defendant and urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up an appeal of a doctor trying to recoup damages from the DOJ for prosecutorial misconduct. The case involves Florida doctor Ali Shaygan, who was awarded more than…

Aug 13, 2012 11:15 AM CDT