Federal Government

Verdict: Padilla is Guilty, Faces Life in Prison

Updated: In a verdict today in a controversial American anti-terrorism trial, Jose Padilla and two co-defendants have been found guilty on all charges. Following a three-month trial and not quite two days of deliberation, a seven-man, five-woman federal court jury in Miami found the three guilty today, reports CNN. The…

Aug 16, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

Spy Challenge Before 9th Circuit

A federal appeals court will hear arguments tomorrow on whether to dismiss two lawsuits challenging a National Security Administration surveillance program based on the government’s assertion of a state secrets privilege. Whatever the ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to have…

Aug 14, 2007 2:31 PM CDT

Rove Privilege Claim Intact, Spokesman Says

Karl Rove’s resignation as deputy chief of staff won’t affect the administration’s assertion of executive privilege before a Senate committee seeking his testimony on the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. “The privilege assertions remain intact,” White House spokesman Tony Fratto told the New York Times. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary…

Aug 14, 2007 1:38 PM CDT

Nat’l Security Panel: Constitution is Key

Paying attention to the U.S. Constitution and involving Congress in setting American policy on anti-terrorism measures isn’t just the right thing to do, legally. It’s also the best way to ensure an effective national security program, according to a panel discussion today at the ABA Annual Meeting. From conducting warrantless…

Aug 10, 2007 8:52 PM CDT

Immigrant Crackdown, But More Temps

Updated: An effort to get Congress to pass an immigration bill promoted by the White House failed this year. So the executive branch is trying again. An enhanced program of government enforcement against employers who hire illegal immigrants was announced by the Bush administration today. Employers who ignore immigration laws…

Aug 10, 2007 4:15 PM CDT

ABA May Criticize Bush’s CIA Exec Order

A human rights lawyer is trumpeting a possible ABA resolution declaring that a July 20, 2007 executive order by President George W. Bush concerning the interrogation of U.S. prisoners is inconsistent with the Geneva Conventions. The proposed resolution, which is scheduled to be debated and voted on by the ABA…

Aug 8, 2007 10:17 PM CDT

Wiretap Law Narrow, Officials Say

The White House is taking issue with a New York Times story that said a new wiretap law signed by the president gives the government sweeping powers. Administration officials told reporters in a telephone briefing that the government’s new powers aren’t broad or sweeping, the New York Times reports. They…

Aug 7, 2007 11:51 AM CDT

Fugitives Surrender at Church

The fellowship hall doubled as a legal complex last week at the Galilee Missionary Baptist church in Nashville. Fugitives with outstanding arrest warrants turned themselves in at the church, where they conferred with a public defender and then went before a judge, the New York Times reports. Often the judge…

Aug 6, 2007 3:08 PM CDT

Raid of Congressman’s Office Improper

A federal appeals court ruled today that the FBI must return privileged legislative documents seized in a raid of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson’s office last year. Jefferson was indicted after the raid on charges he solicited more than $500,000 in bribes. He has pleaded not guilty. The U.S. Court of…

Aug 3, 2007 4:31 PM CDT

WH Aide Offers BlackBerry Excuse

The showdown between the administration and the Senate Judiciary Committee took another turn yesterday, as a White House aide refused to answer questions. J. Scott Jennings was called to testify about the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. But in response to each question about the firings, he said he could…

Aug 3, 2007 12:41 PM CDT

Expanded Wiretap Powers Proposed

Updated: Democrats have proposed temporary legislation to expand government powers to wiretap suspected foreign terrorists for the next six months. Currently, the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approves wiretaps of foreign terrorism suspects who have conversations with people in the United States. The Democratic proposal would authorize the court to…

Aug 2, 2007 2:05 PM CDT

Observers Differ Over Gonzales’ Future

As 15 Democratic members of Congress piled onto the controversy over Albert Gonzales by calling yesterday for a investigation of whether “sufficient grounds” to impeach him exist, observers are split about the U.S. attorney general’s future. “Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, it gets worse,” Douglas Kmiec,…

Aug 1, 2007 8:25 PM CDT

Broad Secret Spy Program Confirmed

The director of national intelligence revealed yesterday that President Bush issued an executive order after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks authorizing a wide range of secret surveillance activities. The letter makes clear that a warrantless terrorism surveillance program was just one aspect of the government’s surveillance activities, the Washington Post…

Aug 1, 2007 2:52 PM CDT

Reagan Arising

At last, the court that conservatives hoped for since the 1980s arrives

Aug 1, 2007 9:52 AM CDT

Gonzales Controversy Heats Up

As controversy over claimed inaccuracies in U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ testimony before Congressional panels appears to be bubbling toward a boiling point, two leading members of the Senate Judiciary Committee seem to be working together to deal with it in a bipartisan manner. Following a formal request to the…

Jul 30, 2007 9:39 AM CDT