Former White House Aide, Once a 4th Circuit Nominee, Is Suspended in DC for Petty Theft

A former White House aide in the administration of President George W. Bush and onetime nominee to a seat on the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has had his law license suspended for a year in the District of Columbia after his conviction in a petty theft…

Sep 8, 2011 10:09 PM CDT

Bernice Donald is Confirmed to the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals

A longtime federal judge in Memphis, Tenn., breezed through the U.S. Senate confirmation process today with bipartisan support for a seat on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. After 30 minutes of debate, U.S. District Judge Bernice Donald was approved by a 96-2 vote, reports the Commercial Appeal. She…

Sep 7, 2011 12:11 AM CDT

Turning Point: Even as Threats Still Loom, US Officials Raise Possibility of Defeating al-Qaida

Sep 1, 2011 9:12 AM CDT

US Atty for Ariz. Resigns, Minn. US Atty Promoted in Shake-Up re Botched ATF Gun-Running Probe

The top federal prosecutor in Arizona has resigned, effective immediately, and two other officials who oversaw a botched federal investigation of gun-running operation have been reassigned. In the probe, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reportedly stood by as hundreds of weapons were illegally purchased for…

Aug 31, 2011 7:16 PM CDT

Earthquake Interruption Is Short-Lived, as Lawyers Prepare for Work Today

Courts and law firms in Washington, D.C., are preparing to open today after yesterday’s magnitude 5.8 earthquake centered in Virginia was felt across the East Coast. Managers and lawyers at several major law firms in Washington, D.C., told the National Law Journal they expected to be back at work today.…

Aug 24, 2011 11:39 AM CDT

US to Review 300,000 Deportation Files; Many Might Win Reprieve Under New Case-By-Case Policy

The United States is going to review 300,000 files of those currently in deportation proceedings as alleged illegal immigrants, as well as all future cases, to determine whether the individuals at issue qualify for a reprieve under a new federal policy announced by the White House yesterday. While it isn’t…

Aug 19, 2011 12:44 PM CDT

Man Allegedly Got Mortgage Bailout By Persuading Bank to Take Fake $353K ‘Hank Paulson’ Money Order

Around the time the Bush administration and then-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson agreed in November 2008 to lend CitiGroup $45 billion to bail the banking giant out of a global financial crisis, a Maryland man allegedly got an idea for a bailout on a much smaller scale. Bryan Gardner is accused…

Aug 17, 2011 5:02 PM CDT

Torture Case Against Donald Rumsfeld to Go Forward, 7th Circuit Says

A torture lawsuit (PDF) brought against the U.S. and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, involving U.S. citizens working in Iraq can go forward, the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. In a 2-1 opinion, UPI reports, the 7th Circuit rejected defense arguments that the claims should be…

Aug 8, 2011 9:27 PM CDT

Judge OKs Army Vet’s Suit Against Rumsfeld Over Torture Allegations

A federal judge this week allowed the case of an Army veteran who claims he was imprisoned and tortured by U.S. military in Iraq to move forward against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The vet, who isn’t identified in court documents, was working as a contractor for an American company…

Aug 4, 2011 11:10 AM CDT

Judge Orders Release of Richard Nixon’s Grand Jury Testimony

A federal judge has ordered the release of former President Nixon’s grand jury testimony about Watergate. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of Washington, D.C., found that the historical interest in the documents outweighed the need for secrecy, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times. The transcripts won’t be…

Jul 29, 2011 4:25 PM CDT

Scolded by Another Federal Judge, ‘Birther’ Lawyer Orly Taitz Blames Court Clerk for Bad Filing

A California lawyer known for failed “birther” litigation against President Barack Obama that resulted in a $20,000 sanction from a U.S. District Court judge in Georgia has now irritated another member of the federal bench in the nation’s capital, according to the Orange County Register. Attorney Orly Taitz “is either…

Jul 26, 2011 10:24 PM CDT

Law Profs Debate Whether 14th Amendment Makes Debt Ceiling Unconstitutional

Law professors disagree on whether the debt ceiling is unconstitutional under an obscure provision of the 14th Amendment. On Friday, President Obama rejected the idea, the New York Times reports. “I have talked to my lawyers,” he said. “They are not persuaded that that is a winning argument.” At issue…

Jul 25, 2011 4:48 PM CDT

News Reports Claim Murdoch Entities May Have Hacked and Bullied at US Companies, Too

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been asked to expand its investigation of possible telephone voicemail hacking in the United States by individuals and entities related to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. In a letter sent today to Attorney General Eric Holder and the head of the FBI, Sen. Frank Lautenberg,…

Jul 21, 2011 12:14 AM CDT

ABC News Says DOJ to Expand FBI Probe of News of the World; Possible FCPA Violations at Issue

Relying on unidentified sources, ABC News says the U.S. Department of Justice is going to look at whether the British tabloid News of the World routinely paid bribes to police. If so, that could implicate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, potentially leading to a larger–and expensive–U.S. probe of the newspaper,…

Jul 19, 2011 11:32 PM CDT

Obama Motorcade Fined $200 for Not Paying $16 London Congestion Fee; US Embassy Claims Immunity

After allegedly ignoring a $16 congestion fee that President Barack Obama’s motorcade should have paid for traveling through London, the White House has been hit with a $200 fine. But while the president’s office is apparently expected to ante up after what London’s mayor describes as a very friendly conversation…

Jul 19, 2011 11:02 PM CDT