Government

Today in Legal History: Ellsberg Acquitted in Pentagon Case, Barbie Nazi War Crimes Trial Begins

On this day in 1973, charges against Daniel Ellsberg in the Pentagon Papers case were dismissed, due to government misconduct. (The administration of President Richard M. Nixon was implicated in a burglary of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, in an effort to discredit him.) Ellsberg, a Pentagon employee, had released 7,000 pages…

May 11, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Attorney Tickets Police, N.J. Judge Tosses Case

An effort by a New Jersey attorney to hold state police accountable for speeding that apparently caused a traffic accident in which the state governor was seriously injured ended today when a municipal court judge dismissed the case. Judge Christopher A. Brown said the state is still investigating the April…

May 10, 2007 11:31 PM CDT

Politically Connected Chicago Lawyer Indicted

A politically connected Chicago lawyer has been indicted on bribery and fraud charges for allegedly seeking a kickback in a multi-million-dollar real estate deal, federal prosecutors announced today. The U.S. Attorney’s office says Edward R. Vrydolyak, 69, who formerly served as a city alderman and Cook County Democratic chairman and…

May 10, 2007 8:28 PM CDT

Former Mo. U.S. Attorney Latest Name in News

A new name is emerging in the ongoing controversy over the suspected influence of Republican party politics in the appointment of federal prosecutors: Bradley Schlozman. A 1996 graduate of George Washington University Law School, he has moved quickly into the upper ranks of the Justice Department administration – and, more…

May 7, 2007 10:51 PM CDT

New Zealand Vets Ask Billions re Agent Orange

New Zealand veterans of the Vietnam War reportedly may sue their government for billions of dollars in compensation for injuries allegedly caused by use of the dioxin-containing defoliant Agent Orange. The suit would focus on allegations that government officials from the time of the war to the present day have…

May 7, 2007 8:09 PM CDT

Goodling Targeted re Possible Hiring Law Violation

A former top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reportedly is being investigated to see whether she hired career lawyers at the Justice Department based on their party affiliation. Officials announced today that Monica Goodling, a former senior counselor and White House liaison for Gonzales, is under investigation for allegedly…

May 2, 2007 11:52 PM CDT

Ads Not Enough to Warn of Unclaimed Property

Ads that read “You May Be Owed Money!” and invite readers to check a state-run Web site aren’t enough to protect property owners’ rights to unclaimed assets, a federal appeals court has ruled. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a trial judge to issue an…

May 2, 2007 7:34 PM CDT

Social Security Officials to Speed ALJ Hiring

Social Security officials told a House subcommittee yesterday that they are addressing a growing backlog of disability appeals with efforts to hire more administrative law judges. More than 730,000 disability appeals are pending, and hiring problems have contributed to the backlog, the Washington Post reports.

May 2, 2007 3:25 PM CDT

Congressman Liable for Disclosing Taped Call

D.C. Circuit ruling turns on an ethics committee confidentiality rule; congressman could be out more than $500,000.

May 2, 2007 1:35 PM CDT

Government Review Holds Up Appeal

A former government employee convicted for unlawful possession of classified documents can’t file an appeal because the government hasn’t released court transcripts in his case. The government won’t release transcripts of hearings, which include pretrial and bench conferences, until a review is completed that checks for classified information. It has…

Apr 30, 2007 5:08 PM CDT

Attorney-Firing Investigator Being Investigated

A Washington Post story weighs in on the controversy surrounding the lawyer who will be leading the investigation of political influence in government decision-making. Scott J. Bloch will be investigating the administration at the same time it is investigating him for his personnel practices, the story says. Employees have accused…

Apr 30, 2007 3:44 PM CDT

Political Influence Probe Grows

The probe into partisan political influence in government is taking place on more than one front. A House committee is seeking information about political briefings given to government employees by aides to political adviser Karl Rove, the Washington Post reports. The Hatch Act restricts political activities of government workers and…

Apr 27, 2007 4:24 PM CDT

Rice Signals She Won’t Testify in Committee Probe

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she’s not inclined to comply with a subpoena to appear before a House committee investigating the administration’s claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Commenting during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Rice said she would respond to questions by mail, the…

Apr 26, 2007 7:56 PM CDT

Philadelphia Lawyer to Join White House Staff

A partner in the white-collar practice group at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads is leaving to become an associate counsel to President Bush, according to the Legal Intelligencer. Scott A. Coffina, who makes the move on May 7, said White House counsel Fred Fielding has been making staff changes because…

Apr 26, 2007 4:52 PM CDT

Legal Fees Add Up for Politicians

Politicians and political groups caught up in investigations and lawsuits have paid more than $2 million in legal bills in the first quarter of 2007, according to the Washington Post. Last month, the Republican National Committee reported paying Covington & Burling of Washington, D.C., $500,000 in fees. Party officials told…

Apr 26, 2007 3:34 PM CDT