Attorney General

DOJ Antitrust Suit over E-Books Tells of ‘Double Delete’ Email Instructions, Meetings at Picholine

The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against Apple and five publishers on Wednesday alleging they conspired to address what one executive called “the wretched $9.99 price point” for e-books. The suit centers on a change from wholesale pricing, in which publishers charge retailers about half the cover…

Apr 12, 2012 11:41 AM CDT

DC Elections Board Probes Video Stunt in Which Activist Asks for Eric Holder Ballot

The Board of Elections in Washington, D.C., says it is investigating an incident in which a voter fraud activist asked about a ballot for Attorney General Eric Holder. The activist from James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas posted video of the April 3 incident on YouTube, report the Associated Press, the Washington…

Apr 12, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Zimmerman Charged with 2nd-Degree Murder in Trayvon Martin Slaying, Is In Custody

Confirming earlier news reports citing unidentified sources, a Florida special prosecutor announced at a news conference Wednesday that a second-degree murder case is being pursued against a neighborhood watch volunteer in a gated community in Sanford who shot an unarmed teenager in February. George Zimmerman has turned himself in and…

Apr 11, 2012 7:20 PM CDT

Controversy Now Centers on 5th Circuit Judge Who Sought AG Input re Obama ‘Judicial Activism’ Remark

Judge Jerry E. Smith of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a conservative voice on what may be the nation’s most conservative federal appellate court. But the Yale Law School graduate isn’t political, and he brings an independent mind to his work on the bench, those…

Apr 6, 2012 7:44 PM CDT

‘Three Cups of Tea’ Author Agrees to Repay His Charity More than $1M

The author of the book Three Cups of Tea has agreed to repay the charity he co-founded more than $1 million in a settlement with the Montana attorney general. An investigation of Greg Mortenson found problems in the management of his charity, the Central Asia Institute, according to a report…

Apr 6, 2012 1:43 PM CDT

AG Holder Letter to 5th Circuit Affirms Judicial Power to Strike Unconstitutional Laws, Backs Obama

In a letter Thursday to three federal appeals court judges, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has reiterated what he calls “the long-standing, historical position of the United States regarding judicial review of the constitutionality of federal legislation.” Although the judicial branch, appropriately, often opts to defer to the judgment of…

Apr 5, 2012 5:54 PM CDT

Holder Backs Obama’s ‘Judicial Activism’ Remark, Says DOJ Will Give 5th Circuit Judge Required Memo

At a press conference Wednesday in Chicago, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder backed public comments by President Barack Obama concerning a challenge to his health care initiative that is currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. Holder called Obama’s remarks about “judicial activism,” which resulted in a demand by…

Apr 4, 2012 8:08 PM CDT

DOJ Threatens to Sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Civil Rights Violations

The U.S. Justice Department is threatening to sue a controversial Arizona sheriff for civil rights violations because of his treatment of Hispanics. The department’s civil rights division revealed a possible lawsuit after settlement talks broke down with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, according to Reuters and the Washington Post. “We…

Apr 4, 2012 12:43 PM CDT

Fed’l Appeals Judge Tells DOJ to Write Memo by Thursday Explaining Obama ‘Judicial Activism’ Claim

In response to a “judicial activism” comment by President Barack Obama, since clarified, about the health care law currently being reviewed for constitutionality by the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal appeals court judge overseeing a different health-care case has called for the Department of Justice immediately to provide a three-page…

Apr 3, 2012 11:30 PM CDT

Arizona AG Says Disgruntled Prosecutor ‘Conjured Up’ Accusations of Campaign Violations

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is denying allegations that he worked illegally with an independent campaign committee that ran attack ads against his opponent in 2010. Horne said a disgruntled employee “conjured up” the allegations, the Arizona Republic reports. The complaint by former prosecutor Don Dybus was filed in February…

Apr 3, 2012 1:29 PM CDT

Should SG Verrilli Be Criticized? After All, He Was Interrupted 103 Times in 56 Minutes

A veteran of Supreme Court oral arguments says Solicitor General Donald Verrilli shouldn’t be criticized for his Supreme Court performance last week. In a column for the Washington Post, lawyer James Feldman says Verrilli was interrupted 103 times last Tuesday during his initial 56-minute argument to uphold the health law’s…

Apr 3, 2012 12:41 PM CDT

Where Do Lawyers Prepare for Health Care ‘Endurance Contest’? A Law School and Possibly a Lunchroom

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. will be squaring off against Paul Clement in health care arguments this week for the second time on health issues since November 2003, when Clement was deputy solicitor general. How are they preparing this time around? In the 2003 case, Verrilli, then a lawyer at…

Mar 26, 2012 1:14 PM CDT

Justice Department to Investigate Death of Fla. Teen; Does ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Protect Shooter?

Federal authorities will investigate the death of a black Florida teen shot and killed by a neighborhood watch captain. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will join with the FBI to investigate the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot last month after he left his home to buy…

Mar 20, 2012 2:13 PM CDT

Holder Calls US Citizenship a ‘Relevant Constitutional Consideration’ in Targeted Killings Overseas

When determining whether the United States is justified in placing terrorist operatives overseas on a so-called kill list without first seeking court approval, their American citizenship is a “relevant constitutional consideration” but “alone does not make such individuals immune from being targeted,” Attorney General Eric Holder told law students at…

Mar 7, 2012 2:43 PM CST

Obama Takes Advantage of Waiver Provision in Terrorism Law

Republicans who back a military detention requirement in a recent terrorism law intend to hold hearings on President Obama’s decision on Tuesday to take advantage of a waiver provision. Obama issued an order that exempts broad categories of terrorism suspects from the military detention requirement and gives civilian authorities broad…

Feb 29, 2012 4:25 PM CST