Alaska

Crowell Snags 5-Lawyer Patton Enviro Team, Opens New Office in Alaska

A five-lawyer team of environmental lawyers including the Washington, D.C., practice co-chair has been lured from Patton Boggs to Crowell & Moring. They will be working with two former Patton colleagues and two other environmental practitioners with significant government experience that Crowell also has just hired. John Martin says he…

Aug 19, 2009 9:14 PM CDT

Legal Costs Spurred Palin’s Resignation, Official Says

Alaska’s lieutenant governor says Sarah Palin is resigning from her post as governor because of the mounting legal costs of defending herself in ethics investigations. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell of Alaska told FOX News Sunday that Palin told him of her resignation on Wednesday, the New York Times reports. “I…

Jul 6, 2009 11:48 AM CDT

Divided Court Rejects Convict’s DNA Access Claim

In a sharp 5-4 split, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning that an individual whose conviction is already final doesn’t have the right to access evidence to do DNA testing that could prove innocence. Writing for the majority in District Attorney’s Office v. Osborne, Chief Justice John G. Roberts,…

Jun 18, 2009 3:04 PM CDT

Inexperience and Staffing Problems Plagued Stevens Prosecutors

The Justice Department section that prosecuted former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, only to see the charges dismissed, was inexperienced and overwhelmed, observers say. Defense lawyers and government officials told the Washington Post that the problems were not likely because of political motivations. Rather, the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section “miscalculated by…

Apr 13, 2009 3:49 PM CDT

Alaska Seeks Hatch Act Probe in Stevens Case, Supports Possible Tort Claim

Opening a new chapter in the ongoing debacle over the federal government’s stunningly unsuccessful prosecution of then-Sen. Ted Stevens for corruption, the legislature of his home state of Alaska today overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for further investigation of potential election law violations and demanding that the federal government give…

Apr 9, 2009 12:24 AM CDT

US Sues BP Sub Over Alaska Oil Spills, Seeks Maximum Penalties

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed suit against a subsidiary of a global oil company, contending that two discharges totaling some 200,000 gallons of crude oil into Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope in 2006 violated federal clean air and water laws and seeking maximum penalties. Filed in federal…

Apr 1, 2009 9:15 PM CDT

Judge to Hold Senior DOJ Lawyers in Contempt in Sen. Stevens Case

In the latest chapter of an ongoing saga of embarrassment for the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal judge angrily said he will hold four of its prosecutors in contempt for failing to comply with a post-trial court order to turn over documents in the case of former Sen. Ted…

Feb 13, 2009 8:40 PM CST

Gibson Dunn Worked Pro Bono Seeking to Block Troopergate Probe

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher was among the law firms donating pro bono assistance to six Alaska legislators seeking to block the Troopergate investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin. The law firm donated about $185,000 in billable time, the Am Law Daily reports. The firm also represented GOP presidential candidate John McCain…

Feb 11, 2009 3:27 PM CST

Alaska AG Resigns, Criticized for Role in Troopergate Probe

The attorney general of Alaska has resigned after criticism over his role in the Troopergate investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin. Attorney General Talis Colberg announced the resignation in a statement yesterday, the Associated Press reports. “I determined that it was in the best interest of the state of Alaska to…

Feb 11, 2009 12:19 PM CST

FBI Agent Claims Prosecutors Altered Document to ‘Fit’ Previous Discovery Info

An FBI agent turned whistleblower complained to federal authorities shortly after Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted in October that investigators handling the case withheld and altered evidence, and engaged in inappropriate relationships with witnesses. The agent’s eight-page complaint, which was made public Monday, alleges that FBI agents met with…

Dec 23, 2008 10:15 PM CST

Stoel Rives Opens Alaska Office with Heller Lawyers

Stoel Rives is opening an Anchorage, Alaska, office staffed largely with lawyers from the dissolving law firm Heller Ehrman. Four Heller lawyers based in Anchorage will be joining the office, including Heller’s former Anchorage managing partner Jim Torgerson, who will have the same role in the Stoel Rives office, according…

Nov 12, 2008 4:19 PM CST

Oops, Wrong Car: Alaska Man Charged in Auto Theft, DUI

Stunned to be accused of stealing a car, Charles Schultz assured an Alaska state trooper that he was the owner of the Chevy Cavalier he was driving. Oops. In fact, it was a Ford Escort, the trooper pointed out. Schultz, who allegedly had a few too many at a gentlemen’s…

Nov 6, 2008 5:31 PM CST

For Now, Convicted Sen. Ted Stevens is Still Eligible to Vote

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens will be able to vote next week because he hasn’t been sentenced yet for his conviction on seven counts in a federal corruption case. Alaska’s Department of Law decided yesterday that Stevens may vote because his conviction isn’t final, the Anchorage Daily News reports. A legal…

Oct 30, 2008 3:49 PM CDT

Deliberating Jurors Spot Error in Sen. Stevens Indictment

Oops. Jurors deliberating in the high-profile corruption trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens spotted an error today in his indictment. “Among the seven charges in the indictment, prosecutors said that Stevens checked ‘no’ on financial documents when asked whether he received any gifts in 2001. Actually, he checked ‘yes,’ and…

Oct 27, 2008 7:21 PM CDT

Law Profs Question Felony Charge Against Accused Palin E-Mail Hacker

Two law professors are wondering why the University of Tennessee student charged with hacking into Sarah Palin’s e-mail account was charged with a felony. Law professors Orin Kerr of George Washington University and Paul Ohm of the University of Colorado questioned the felony charge against David Kernell, the son of…

Oct 14, 2008 12:50 PM CDT