Prosecutors

Israel Prez’s Plea Deal Not a Done Deal

A controversial agreement by the president of Israel to plead guilty to sexual harassment and other charges and resign from office to avoid a potential rape prosecution apparently isn’t a done deal. Amidst widespread criticism of the plea agreement and three petitions against it, the Israel Supreme Court is requiring…

Jul 2, 2007 8:33 PM CDT

At this Prosecutor’s Office, a Furry Soft Spot for Kids

Unconditional love, sad to say, isn’t what brings children to the offices of the King County Special Assault Unit.

Jul 1, 2007 7:25 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor, 74, Attacked in Law Office

A retired prosecutor who currently practices law and works as a judge in a small town in Georgia is hospitalized with severe head injuries after being beaten in his legal office. Glenn Thomas Jr., 74, allegedly was beaten by an ex-con who had contact with him when he was a…

Jun 29, 2007 3:00 AM CDT

Disgraced Duke Rape DA to Quit Monday

Mike Nifong, the Durham, N.C., attorney disbarred for his handling of the rape prosecution of three former Duke lacrosse players later determined to be innocent, will quit his job Monday. However, that still isn’t the end of the road for Nifong, as far as his legal career is concerned–he faces…

Jun 28, 2007 5:44 PM CDT

Bush Asserts Executive Privilege

The White House has asserted executive privilege and refused to turn over documents regarding the firing of at least eight U.S. attorneys. The administration will withhold documents from former White House counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor, and the officials will not testify, the Associated Press reports.…

Jun 28, 2007 3:57 PM CDT

White House Subpoenaed

The Senate Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed the White House, the vice president’s office and the Justice Department, setting up a potential constitutional conflict. The committee seeks documents to learn more about the legal justification for the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program as well as the telecommunications companies that aided…

Jun 28, 2007 2:36 PM CDT

AG Meets With Slain Prosecutor’s Family

During a visit to Seattle, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales met today with the family of a federal prosecutor shot and killed by an unknown sniper five years ago as he sat working in his home near a window. The visit gave Tom Wales’ family hope for an increased federal…

Jun 28, 2007 2:27 AM CDT

Law-and-Order Libby Judge Under Fire

The product of a strict childhood under an authoritarian father, U.S. Dist. Judge Reggie Walton expects those who do the crime to do the time. And that includes Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney. But his two-and-a-half-year sentence for Libby in an obstruction…

Jun 27, 2007 11:20 PM CDT

Convicted Governor Blames Karl Rove for Recommended 30-Year Prison Term

The controversy over alleged White House politicization of the federal prosecution process has moved beyond concern about the perhaps politically motivated dismissals of nine U.S. attorneys to a new issue–the cases they did, or did not, pursue. Now Don Siegelman, a former Democratic governor of Alabama, is contending that he…

Jun 27, 2007 1:46 AM CDT

Paris Hilton Prosecutor on Hot Seat Now

It isn’t just Paris Hilton who’s recently learned that the media spotlight can cast an unwelcome light on personal failings. Now the prosecutor in her case is taking his turn in the unpleasant glare. Rocky Delgadillo was tough on crime when he was attacking the two-tiered justice system that allegedly…

Jun 25, 2007 9:06 PM CDT

‘Pepgate’ Pits Prosecutor Against Police

Only five months into his new job, the top prosecutor in rural Knox County, Illinois, several hundred miles southwest of Chicago, is already at odds with local authorities. Accused in a federal lawsuit of sexually harassing female employees, State’s Attorney John Pepmeyer fired several lawyers in his office who supported…

Jun 25, 2007 6:39 PM CDT

DOJ Official Withdraws Nomination

The Justice Department’s acting associate attorney general has withdrawn his nomination for the permanent job. William Mercer said in a letter that he will return to his regular duties as U.S. Attorney in Montana, citing opposition to his nomination, the Washington Post reports. Mercer has been criticized for splitting his…

Jun 25, 2007 2:54 PM CDT

Disbarment Unusual for Prosecutors

Michael Nifong sought the limelight when he charged three Duke lacrosse players with rape. All that attention may be a reason an ethics body gave him an unusually harsh penalty for misconduct in the case. Discipline is “light or nonexistent” for prosecutors who fail to disclose evidence, even in death…

Jun 25, 2007 2:25 PM CDT

Agency Seeks DOJ Help in Cheney Dispute

Vice President Dick Cheney is claiming that his office is exempt from a presidential order regulating handling of national security information. Cheney has claimed for the last four years that his office does not need to comply because is not fully a part of the Bush administration, the Los Angeles…

Jun 22, 2007 8:00 PM CDT

N.J. Chief Justice Confirmed

The New Jersey Senate has approved a new chief justice and attorney general. Stuart Rabner will leave his job as attorney general to head the state’s top court and Anne Milgram will replace him, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. At age 46, Rabner will be New Jersey’s youngest-ever chief justice.…

Jun 22, 2007 5:04 PM CDT