Attorney General

Still Looking for Work in Bad Economy: Former AG Alberto Gonzales

More than 16 months after he announced his resignation after scathing criticism over alleged politicization of Justice Department hiring practices and policies related to the war on terror, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is still looking for another job. But the 53-year-old is upbeat about his search for work,…

Jan 9, 2009 9:33 PM CST

Voting Rights Appeal Offers ‘Potentially Defining Moment’ for Chief Justice

The U.S. Supreme Court could decide as early as today whether to hold a hearing on an appeal that contends a section of the Voting Rights Act renewed two years ago is an unconstitutional regulation of the states. The Supreme Court is required to review all cases involving the Voting…

Jan 9, 2009 1:10 PM CST

Eric Holder Reportedly Pressed for FALN Inmates’ Clemency

Attorney General nominee Eric Holder pressured pardon staffers in the Clinton administration’s Justice Department to change their stance and recommend clemency for members of two Puerto Rican nationalist groups, according to a newspaper report. After Pardon Attorney Roger Adams objected to the request, Holder instructed him to draft an “options…

Jan 9, 2009 12:15 PM CST

Noncitizens Have No Right to Counsel in Deportation Cases, Mukasey Finds

Days before a new presidential regime will be in place at the White House, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey issued a written opinion (PDF) yesterday finding that noncitizens have no constitutional right to counsel in deportation proceedings. The attorney general’s opinion, which reverses a 15-year precedent established by Matter of…

Jan 8, 2009 9:47 PM CST

A Slow Law School Start Didn’t Doom SG Nominee

The first semester at Harvard Law School didn’t go well for Elena Kagan, but she quickly recovered, earning an A-plus in one of her classes. Now Kagan is dean of Harvard law and Barack Obama’s nominee to become solicitor general. Her law school transcripts, part of a clerkship application with…

Jan 8, 2009 2:13 PM CST

Specter Wants to Know if Holder Can Just Say No

Attorney General nominee Eric Holder is likely to face tough questions from Republicans when his confirmation hearings begin next Thursday. The GOP may be emboldened by the pay-to-play charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, CNN reports, and may use the hearings to prove their credibility as a minority party, according…

Jan 8, 2009 12:52 PM CST

Associate Attorney General Nominee Sued File Sharers for RIAA

Technology blogs are talking about some controversial lawsuits filed by Barack Obama’s nominee for associate attorney general. Jenner & Block’s Tom Perrelli has represented the Recording Industry Association of America in “a slew of cases, including a high-profile bid to unmask file sharers without the requirement of a judge reviewing…

Jan 7, 2009 7:09 PM CST

Legal Writings of SG Nominee are ‘Dense, Hedged and Moderate’

The legal writings of Harvard law dean Elena Kagan don’t provide many clues about her terrorism positions that vexed the Bush administration. The New York Times examined the writings of Kagan, who is Barack Obama’s nominee for solicitor general, and found them to be “dense, hedged and moderate.” The Times…

Jan 7, 2009 1:34 PM CST

Nominee to Head OLC Called Torture Memo ‘Shockingly Flawed’

President-elect Obama’s choice to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration’s terrorism policies and the legal opinions that authorized them. The nominee, Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen, has called one OLC memo authorizing harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects “shockingly…

Jan 6, 2009 12:18 PM CST

Former Attorney General Griffin Bell Dies

Griffin Bell, a former attorney general and federal appeals judge, has died at the age of 90. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Bell’s death today. He was being treated for kidney failure, pneumonia and complications from pancreatic cancer, according to a previous story in the Journal Constitution. Bell was a…

Jan 5, 2009 3:23 PM CST

Harvard Law Dean Picked for Solicitor General

Updated: Harvard law dean Elena Kagan is President-elect Obama’s choice for solicitor general. Kagan told associates the news in an e-mail today, according to the Boston Globe’s Political Intelligence blog. She wrote that the position offers the opportunity to “help advance this nation’s commitment to the rule of law at…

Jan 5, 2009 1:35 PM CST

Calif. AG: Gay Marriage Constitutional Amendment is Unconstitutional

In an about-face, California Attorney General Jerry Brown is asking the state supreme court to overturn a voter-approved constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage in the state. Brown argues that “the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification,” the Los Angeles Times reports. He…

Dec 22, 2008 3:38 PM CST

WilmerHale Partner Said to Be Likely Deputy AG Nominee

WilmerHale partner David Ogden is said to be President-elect Barack Obama’s top choice to become deputy attorney general. Ogden is heading the Justice Department transition team for Obama. A Washington lawyer close to the transition told Legal Times that Ogden is all but certain to be named second in command…

Dec 22, 2008 1:44 PM CST

Mukasey Recuses Himself in Madoff Probe

U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey won’t participate in an investigation of Bernard Madoff, accused of defrauding investors of $50 billion in a huge Ponzi scheme. Mukasey did not give a reason for his recusal, report FOX News and ABC News. But his son, Marc Mukasey, a lawyer with Bracewell &…

Dec 17, 2008 5:23 PM CST

AG Nominee Holder Would Get $3M Partner Payout from Covington

Public sector employment would mean a big cut in regular pay for attorney general nominee Eric Holder, but he’ll have a big payout from his law firm to cushion the blow. Covington & Burling would pay Holder $3.14 million as partner capital payout, separation payments and deferred compensation, Politico reports.…

Dec 16, 2008 4:26 PM CST