Justice Department

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Critics Blast Obama's 'State Secrets' Court Fight

White House seeks to kill lawsuit by Islamic charity over FBI wiretaps

(Newser) - Civil liberties activists are accusing President Obama of going back on his word and behaving like George Bush when it comes to protecting administration secrets, reports the Washington Post. The harsh criticism comes in the wake of a lawsuit brought by an Oregon Islamic charity seeking damages for the alleged...

New Solicitor General in Line for High Court

Center-left lawyer will work closely with Supremes

(Newser) - Elena Kagan became America's first female solicitor general yesterday, putting her one step closer to a possible Supreme Court nomination, the AP reports. As the so-called "10th Supreme Court justice," Kagan will effectively audition for the high court if she argues a Voting Rights Act case next...

US Halts Raids on Medical Marijuana Facilities

Holder signals major shift from Bush era's zero tolerance

(Newser) - Attorney general Eric Holder said yesterday that the Justice Department will no longer prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries that operate legally in California and 12 other states, reports the Los Angeles Times. While he and other Obama officials had hinted previously at the change, the AG's announcement was the most detailed...

US Drops Term 'Enemy Combatant'

(Newser) - The Obama administration said today it is abandoning one of President Bush's key phrases in the war on terrorism: enemy combatant, the AP reports. The Justice Department said in legal filings that it will no longer use the term to justify holding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. But that won't change...

Bush Lawyer Authorized Suspending 1st Amendment

Yoo memo also let military attack buildings inside US

(Newser) - Immediately after 9/11 the Justice Department under President Bush approved military attacks on apartments and offices, high-tech surveillance of citizens, and a suspension of press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. The actions detailed in the newly released memo, co-written by John Yoo and sent to Alberto Gonzales, were seen...

US Will Charge 'Combatant' in Military Custody

In policy shift, he will get civilian trial, not military tribunal

(Newser) - Ali al Marri, the only alleged enemy combatant held on US soil, will be charged by the Justice Department, possibly for supplying material support to terrorism, ABC News reports. The move to a civilian criminal trial is an about-face from the policies of the Bush administration, which had insisted on...

Holder Makes Solo Visit to Guantanamo

AG visits detention center Obama pledges to shut down

(Newser) - Eric Holder is en route to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, reports the AP, as the government weighs what is needed to shut the facility down. No news reporters are accompanying the attorney general on the flight, and it remains unclear if Holder will open any of his visit...

Swiss Bank Will Give Names of US Tax Dodgers

(Newser) - Switzerland's biggest bank admitted today that it helped wealthy US customers evade their taxes, the Wall Street Journal reports. UBS set up shell companies and fake trusts for customers so they could hide their accounts from the IRS. The company will pay $780 million in fines and turn over the...

DOJ Pulls Prosecutors Off Stevens Case

Judge finds lawyers in contempt for withholding documents

(Newser) - The Justice Department has yanked the team that prosecuted Ted Stevens off any future action in the case, Politico reports, after the judge found four of the lawyers—including chief prosecutor Brenda Morris—in contempt. Morris and company raised the judge’s ire by withholding documents related to FBI agent...

Americans Want Torture Investigation: Poll

(Newser) - Two-thirds of Americans want an investigation into alleged Bush administration misdeeds, including torture and warrantless wiretapping, a USA Today/Gallup poll shows. Forty percent of respondents would like to see criminal probes; one-quarter would prefer investigations without the possibility of criminal charges. And even more—70% of those surveyed—said the...

Financial Fraud Investigations Overwhelm FBI

Enron-style crisis in mortgage, bailout cases looms

(Newser) - The mortgage crisis and the billions of bailout dollars finding their way into circulation have spawned a surge in fraud cases that already is straining federal law enforcement resources, reports the Los Angeles Times. The FBI is stretched to the limit by 2,300 current investigations—but just 38 are...

Peanut Corp Lied, Sold to Retailers
Peanut Corp Lied, Sold
to Retailers
Feb 10, 2009 7:44 AM CST

Peanut Corp Lied, Sold to Retailers

Reversal means salmonella recall might have to expand

(Newser) - The Peanut Corporation of America, whose plant in Georgia is the sole source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak, has admitted selling peanut products directly to retailers, primarily dollar stores. The reversal of the company’s earlier claim that it sold only to institutions means the recall of almost 1,800...

Black Leaders Pin High Hopes on New AG

Civil rights advocates see opportunity for change under Holder

(Newser) - For decades, black men have been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to execution at disproportionate rates. Now, with the appointment of the country's first African-American attorney general, black leaders are hoping Eric Holder will help the Justice Department reform what they see as a broken system. "The most important thing...

Rove Will Cooperate in US Attorney Firings Inquiry

Had refused to take part in earlier investigation

(Newser) - In a reversal, Karl Rove will cooperate with a federal investigation into the firings of nine US attorneys, Talking Points Memo reports. Rove had refused to cooperate in an earlier inquiry on the firings, which Justice Department officials said severely “hindered” the inquiry. A lawyer for Rove says the...

Feds Start Criminal Probe Into Salmonella Outbreak

FDA, Justice Dept. team up for investigation of Georgia peanut plant

(Newser) - The federal government has begun a criminal investigation into the peanut-driven salmonella outbreak, after it was revealed that a supplier shipped product that initially tested positive for the bacteria, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The House has called representatives from two testing labs, which certified negative results, to testify. Peanut Corp....

Senate Committee OKs Holder for Attorney General

Cornyn, Coburn dissent in 17-2 vote; full body could confirm tomorrow

(Newser) - Senate Republicans did little to stop the progress of Barack Obama's choice for attorney general, with the Judiciary Committee voting 17-2 today to endorse Eric Holder; John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Republicans both, were the lone dissenters. The Senate could vote as early as tomorrow to...

GOP Questions Put Brakes on Holder Vote

Committee will wait week on AG nominee, infuriating chair Leahy

(Newser) - The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed today’s scheduled vote on Eric Holder’s confirmation by another week, CNN reports. Republican members engineered the move, saying they have questions about the attorney-general nominee’s stance on interrogation techniques. Chairman Patrick Leahy, who said he was “extremely disappointed,” banged down...

Pelosi Open to Prosecuting Bushies
Pelosi Open to Prosecuting Bushies
Talk show ROUNDUP
Jan 18, 2009 11:50 AM CST

Pelosi Open to Prosecuting Bushies

Emanuel: Blago didn't imply anything shady in talks with me

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi would consider prosecuting some Bush White House officials, she told Fox News Sunday, even though Barack Obama has signaled that he doesn't favor such a move. "We cannot let the politicizing of, for example, the Justice Department to go unreviewed," says the speaker of the House....

Holder Slams Rendition, Tribunals
 Holder Slams 
 Rendition, Tribunals 
UPDATED
Jan 15, 2009 4:07 PM CST

Holder Slams Rendition, Tribunals

Attorney-general nominee signals clear break with Bush practices

(Newser) - Attorney General-designate Eric Holder continued his forceful rebuke of Bush administration policies at his confirmation hearing today, Politico reports. Holder slammed rendition, saying it “should not be the policy or practice of our great nation,” and criticized the military commissions trying Guantanamo detainees. They don’t “have...

Stalkers Terrorize 3M Americans a Year: Study

Statistics prompt new calls for updated laws

(Newser) - More than 3 million Americans, mostly women aged 18-24, are stalked each year, but it’s an abuse rarely prosecuted, the Chicago Tribune reports. The staggering figure from a first-ever Justice Department study highlights the need to strengthen laws and enforcement, especially with technology now making it easier for stalkers...

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