Judge Refuses Stay of Libby Sentence

A federal judge says he will not delay a prison sentence for former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby while he appeals his conviction for lying to investigators. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton made the ruling today after revealing he had received threatening letters and calls following his…

Jun 14, 2007 8:07 PM CDT

Libby Judge Threatened

A federal judge says he received threats of harm after sentencing former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby to 30 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton disclosed the threats as he began a hearing today into whether Libby may remain free pending appeal, the Associated Press…

Jun 14, 2007 7:20 PM CDT

SG Gets Bush Views in Securities Case

U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement solicited President Bush’s views before declining to file an amicus brief in a Supreme Court case brought by investors seeking to hold third parties liable for accounting fraud. A lawyer for Bush indicated the president does not support liability for accountants or other third parties…

Jun 13, 2007 5:37 PM CDT

Ex-White House Counsel Miers Subpoenaed

The House Judiciary Committee will subpoena former White House counsel Harriet Miers to testify about her role in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. In the Senate, the Judiciary Committee will subpoena former political director Sara Taylor to testify. Both committees are also seeking relevant documents. The Washington Post learned…

Jun 13, 2007 5:15 PM CDT

E-Mail Debates Firing Response

E-mails released yesterday show that aides to President Bush helped determine the response to a controversy over the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. Then-White House counsel Harriet Miers and aides to political adviser Karl Rove debated the response in “spirited and sometimes angry e-mail exchanges,” the Washington Post reports. “These…

Jun 13, 2007 4:46 PM CDT

Rehearing Sought in ‘Sleeper Agent’ Case

The U.S. Justice Department says it will ask a federal appeals court for an en banc rehearing of a three-judge panel’s ruling yesterday that the military could not hold a civilian indefinitely.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling said Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri could be charged with a crime, deported or held as a material witness. But he has a right to habeas corpus and must be released from military detention, the Richmond, Va.-based court said.

A Justice Department statement said al-Marri trained at Osama bin Laden’s terrorist training camp in Afghanistan and was an al-Qaida sleeper agent sent here to explore methods of disrupting the U.S. financial system.

Jun 12, 2007 1:21 PM CDT

Republicans Block Senate Vote on AG

After much media hoopla, a planned Senate vote of no confidence in U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was blocked by Republicans today. Democrats were unable to muster the 60 votes needed to move past a procedural hurdle, reports Reuters. The non-binding vote would have had no legal force, even if…

Jun 12, 2007 12:46 AM CDT

Court Rebuffs Bush on Civilian Detainee

A federal appeals court has ruled the Bush administration does not have the authority to hold a civilian indefinitely in military detention.

The plaintiff, a suspected terrorist captured within the United States, has a right to habeas corpus, according to the ruling (PDF) today by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The suspect, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, must be released in a reasonable time period, the court said. However, the court said he can be turned over to civilian prosecutors to be tried on criminal charges.

“The president’s constitutional powers do not allow him to order the military to seize and detain indefinitely al-Marri without criminal process,” the court said.

The ruling is a major blow to the Bush administration’s assertion of broad powers to fight terrorism, according to the Washington Post.

Jun 11, 2007 7:10 PM CDT

Court Vacancies Lingering

A slowdown in federal court appointments has conservatives worried that President Bush is neglecting his chance to reshape federal courts.

Bush has not yet nominated candidates for eight federal appeals seats and 16 trial-level judgeships, the Washington Post reports.

The clock is ticking for the lame duck president, conservatives say. They point out that it can take a year to get candidates confirmed in a contentious environment.

Jun 11, 2007 4:05 PM CDT

White House Counsel Hires 10 Attorneys

Ongoing investigations of the Bush administration by the Democrat-controlled Congress are good news for attorneys seeking work in the White House. White House Counsel Fred Fielding announced today that his office has hired nine lawyers, five of them for newly created positions, reports the Washington Post. A source says a…

Jun 9, 2007 4:35 AM CDT

DOJ Won’t Release Wiretapping Opinion

Two congressional Democrats have threatened to subpoena Justice Department documents related to the government’s domestic wiretapping program.

Steven Bradbury, who heads DOJ’s office of legal counsel, told a House Judiciary subcommittee yesterday that the documents would not be released because they are confidential.

The Democrats are seeking legal opinions that supported the wiretapping program and 2004 documents by Justice officials questioning its legality.

Jun 8, 2007 4:17 PM CDT

Cheney Involved in DOJ Debate

A revelation that Vice President Dick Cheney urged approval of a warrantless surveillance program in a meeting with Justice Department officials shows he was more involved in the debate than previously known. The meeting was revealed in disclosures made by former deputy attorney general James Comey in response to written…

Jun 7, 2007 4:19 PM CDT

An Early List of Prosecutor Successors

Documents released yesterday appear to contradict statements by Justice Department officials that a group of potential replacements had not been identified before U.S. attorneys were fired.

Former chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson named five potential replacements months before the firings, the Washington Post reports.

An official with the conservative Federalist Society also forwarded the name of a potential replacement more than a year before the firings, according to the New York Times.

Jun 7, 2007 2:31 PM CDT

Libby Pardon a Sensitive Topic

President Bush has granted fewer pardons than most presidents and has said he will not be quick to grant one in the case of former aide I. Lewis Libby Jr.

Some conservatives are hoping Bush will change his mind and grant his 114th pardon to Libby.

The Washington Post reports the topic of a pardon is so sensitive that top presidential aides have not been kept in the loop and close friends have been advised not to bring it up.

Justice Department advisory guidelines for a pardon require the offender to show remorse and serve time.

Jun 7, 2007 1:29 PM CDT

Ex-DOJ Official Defends Hiring, Vote-Fraud Case

A former Justice Department official told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that he recruited job applicants from conservative groups such as the Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation. But Bradley J. Schlozman, who served as acting head of the civil rights division in 2005, said that when it came time to…

Jun 6, 2007 2:54 PM CDT