Legislation & Lobbying

Deal Reached on Wiretap Bill

A bill to extend the government’s terrorism wiretap program and immunize telecommunications companies will be introduced in the Senate under a deal reached by both political parties and President Bush. The Senate bill will give companies immunity for cooperating with the administration in a data-mining program, the Washington Post reports.…

Oct 18, 2007 11:30 AM CDT

Controversial BigLaw Clients: ‘Vulture Funds’

Big law firms in London and the U.S. that represent so-called vulture funds are becoming a target for criticism. A number of funds have purchased distressed sovereign debt issued by Third World countries at a fraction of its face value, then retained a major law firm and sued for the…

Oct 17, 2007 6:15 PM CDT

House Passes Reporter Shield Bill

The White House has threatened to veto legislation that passed the House yesterday to protect reporters’ confidential sources. The bill would protect journalists from having to reveal their sources in federal cases unless the information is needed to prevent terrorism or harm to national security, the Associated Press reports. In…

Oct 17, 2007 12:31 PM CDT

CA v. Court in Sex Offender Residency Sweep

In a showdown between California’s governor and the state supreme court, parole officers yesterday began arresting hundreds of convicted sex offenders for violating a new state law. It prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park, as well as a number of other areas where…

Oct 12, 2007 10:31 PM CDT

Al Gore Left Law, Won Nobel Peace Prize

Al Gore seems to have made the right career choice when he opted to leave Vanderbilt University Law School and pursue a life in politics in the 1970s. The former presidential candidate has now won the Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental work, along with a United Nations climate change…

Oct 12, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

PA High Court Race Hits Record $5 M

For the first time ever, candidates competing for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have collectively raised more than $5 million in campaign funds. By mid-September, eight candidates had together raised a total of just over $5 million, smashing a 12-year-old fundraising record, reports the Justice at Stake Campaign…

Oct 12, 2007 4:47 PM CDT

Smart on Crime: Invest in Kids

It isn’t just the usual suspects who are urging legislators to take a different approach to national crime issues. A coalition of police, prosecutors and crime victims has formed a group called Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Its focus is to lobby for programs, such as preschool, that demonstrably make…

Oct 11, 2007 5:26 PM CDT

Amid Uncertainty, Estate Planners Stay Flexible

Uncertainty over the estate tax is making estate planning more difficult. Those with estates between $1 million and $5 million are facing the biggest headaches, since their bequests may or may not be subject to estate taxes. The amount paid by their heirs will depend on the year in which…

Oct 10, 2007 4:14 PM CDT

New Terrorism Wiretap Law Likely to Pass

Democrats are likely to back a bill to extend the government’s wiretap authority in terrorism investigations. Administration officials told the New York Times that they believed a law would pass that authorizes the National Security Agency spy program for several more years. Democrats are willing to vote yes because they…

Oct 9, 2007 10:32 AM CDT

Foreign Farmworker Regulation Eases

Despite opposition from many fellow Republicans, the White House has been quietly spearheading an effort to streamline regulations and make it easier for farmers to import foreign field workers. Attempting to alleviate a severe farmworker shortage apparently caused at least in part by stepped-up border and immigration enforcement, the Bush…

Oct 8, 2007 5:46 PM CDT

NJ Town Considers Extensive Sex-Offender Ban

A New Jersey municipality is considering banning high-risk sex offenders from living anywhere within the town. The town council is expected to vote on the measure on Wednesday, the New York Times reports. Most communities that pass sex-offender laws bar them from living close to schools and child-care centers. Dyersville,…

Oct 8, 2007 1:09 PM CDT

CIA Director Details Interrogations

In another reaction to a lengthy New York Times article yesterday on secret Department of Justice legal opinions on interrogation tactics, the director of the CIA sent an internal memo to employees disputing the premise that the memos opened the door for harsher methods. In his memo, Michael Hayden describes…

Oct 5, 2007 10:40 PM CDT

Bush: No Torture; Senator: No Info

Reacting to controversy sparked by a New York Times article yesterday about two secret Department of Justice legal opinions in 2005 that at least arguably conflict with contemporaneous public administration statements about torture, President George W. Bush reiterated today that the U.S. doesn’t torture prisoners. Plus, the president insisted, the…

Oct 5, 2007 9:33 PM CDT

Bill Advances to Nix Surprise Foreclosure Tax

The House has approved a bill that would protect homeowners from having to pay taxes when they lose their homes in foreclosure. The bill, which would be retroactive to Jan. 1, would protect homeowners from having to pay income taxes on forgiven mortgage debt, Bloomberg News reports. The so-called 1099…

Oct 5, 2007 2:11 PM CDT

House Moves to Expand Courts’ Reach to War Contractors

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have approved a bill that, if enacted, will bring U.S. contractors in Iraq under the jurisdiction of American criminal courts. That means private contractors, including the armed security force Blackwater USA, could face investigations by the FBI if there is alleged wrongdoing. The House approved the…

Oct 5, 2007 10:56 AM CDT