Terrorism

Local Lawmakers to Weigh in on War Crimes Charges against Law Prof

The Berkeley, Calif., City Council has scheduled a vote next week on a war crimes resolution targeting a law professor who wrote a so-called torture memo while working in the Justice Department. The Berkeley measure demands that the United States bring war crimes charges against John Yoo, a constitutional and…

Dec 5, 2008 2:12 PM CST

AG Says Obama May Not Get Sensitive Legal Opinions Till January

Barack Obama’s Justice Department transition team may not be able to see some sensitive legal opinions until after the January inauguration, even though some of the members have received security clearances. At a news conference yesterday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said other entities that sought legal opinions by the Office…

Dec 4, 2008 2:01 PM CST

Reed Smith Partner With Relatives in Mumbai Turns to Firm Expert

The aunt and uncle of a Reed Smith partner staying at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai are safe, thanks to their own pluck. Lawyer Bradley Schmarak is thankful for his relatives’ escape—and for the help of the law firm’s India practice leader. The couple, Marilyn and Joe Ernsteen, were…

Dec 2, 2008 5:41 PM CST

9/11 Fallout: The Next Round

N.Y. detainee says attorney general, FBI director to blame for prison beatings

Dec 2, 2008 2:50 AM CST

Stephenson Harwood Associate Dies in India Terrorist Attacks

Lo Hwei Yen, a Singapore associate at U.K. law firm Stephenson Harwood, was killed during last week’s massacre in Mumbai. The 28-year-old, who was in India to speak at a conference, was taken hostage at the city’s Oberoi Hotel during the terrorist attacks, Legal Week reports. Her body was later…

Dec 1, 2008 5:40 PM CST

Wash. Justice Now Admits ‘Tyrant’ Outburst During Mukasey Speech

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders now admits he stood and called Attorney General Michael Mukasey a “tyrant” during a speech last week, but he says some time elapsed before the attorney general collapsed. Sanders told the Seattle Times that he spoke up after hearing Mukasey defend Bush administration…

Nov 26, 2008 12:05 PM CST

Citizens Overseas Can Be Searched Without Warrant, Court Rules

Evidence acquired in a warrantless search of an American citizen overseas may be admitted in a court here, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit of Appeals ruled in the case of three followers of Osama bin Laden convicted in a conspiracy that included…

Nov 25, 2008 1:00 PM CST

Muslim Charity, 5 Leaders Convicted in Hamas Terrorism Aid Case

A major Muslim charitable organization and five of its former leaders were convicted by a federal court jury in Texas today of aiding terrorism via their charitable contributions. Prosecutors claimed that the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development funded terrorism by paying for charitable projects controlled by Hamas, thus…

Nov 25, 2008 12:34 AM CST

Former Mexican Drug Czar Got $450K to Keep Traffickers Informed, Authorities Say

In a continuing shakeup in high-echelon Mexican law enforcement, a former drug czar has been accused of being paid $450,000 by drug traffickers, in exchange for providing them with information about police operations. “Noe Ramirez is the highest law enforcement official detained yet as part of Mexico’s sweeping effort to…

Nov 21, 2008 5:44 PM CST

5 Gitmo Detainees Held Unlawfully, Federal Judge Says

Ruling from the bench, a federal judge has found that five Algerian men were held unlawfully for nearly seven years at the U.S. military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and ordered that they be released “forthwith.” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon also urged the government not to appeal his decision,…

Nov 20, 2008 7:30 PM CST

Obama to Bring Gitmo Detainees to US Courts, Associated Press Says

In a potential move that could change the landscape of the nation’s criminal justice system, president-elect Barack Obama reportedly has asked his advisers to put together a plan to close the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and bring detainees who are not released here for trial. While…

Nov 10, 2008 7:28 PM CST

Top Military Official: More Troops Needed in Afghanistan

The economy may be priority No. 1 in the new presidential administration, but national security isn’t far behind. It’s certainly job No. 1 for Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mullen spoke Thursday night at the ABA’s 18th Annual Review of the Field of National…

Nov 7, 2008 10:36 PM CST

FBI Appeals Order Allowing Deposition of Okla. Bombing Conspirator

The FBI is asking a federal appeals court to reverse a judge’s order allowing a lawyer to take the videotaped deposition of Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols. The order permits Salt Lake City lawyer Jesse Trentadue to take the deposition of Nichols and death-row inmate David Paul Hammer, who…

Nov 7, 2008 5:24 PM CST

Too Much Information a Problem in Jury Cases

Prosecutors supplying too much information at trial risk confusing jurors and losing their cases. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) examined the problem and presented some examples involving the unrelated prosecutions of a charity accused of helping terrorists and an executive accused of securities fraud. It took prosecutors three tries…

Nov 6, 2008 5:14 PM CST

Second Guantanamo Detainee is Convicted in Military Trial

A military jury at Guantanamo has convicted the propaganda chief for al-Qaida and sentenced him to life in prison. The sentence was markedly longer than the 5½ years given to the first Guantanamo detainee who was convicted, a driver for Osama bin Laden. Prosecutors had contended that the man convicted…

Nov 4, 2008 1:06 PM CST