Attorney General

Legal Defense Fund Set Up for Gonzales

A friend of Alberto Gonzales has set up a legal defense fund to cover the former attorney general’s legal expenses in a probe related to congressional testimony about the Justice Department. David Leitch, who is general counsel of Ford Motor Co., asked for donations to the fund in an e-mail…

Nov 15, 2007 11:42 AM CST

Bush Promises New DOJ Appointments

Speaking today at a swearing-in ceremony for Attorney General Michael Mukasey, President Bush promised he will announce Thursday nominations to fill some of the dozen vacant Justice Department leadership positions. Mukasey was officially sworn in last week, and today’s occasion was ceremonial, the Associated Press reports. Former attorneys general John…

Nov 14, 2007 6:11 PM CST

FBI Finds at Least 14 Blackwater Shootings Unjustified

The FBI has concluded that Blackwater security guards were not justified in shooting at least 14 of 17 Iraqi civilians killed in a Sept. 16 incident, the New York Times reports. Government officials told the Times that the guards opened fire in the mistaken belief they were being attacked when…

Nov 14, 2007 1:56 PM CST

DOJ Reopens Domestic Wiretap Investigation

Updated: In a move seen as an indicator of where the Department of Justice may now be headed under the direction of a new U.S. Attorney General, the department has reopened a dormant investigation of whether the National Security Agency violated the law by engaging in a warrantless domestic wiretapping…

Nov 13, 2007 8:56 PM CST

New AG Asked to Review Minnesota Prosecutor’s Office

Several people are urging Attorney General Michael Mukasey to take a look at morale problems in the office of U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose of Minnesota. One of them is Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, who initially endorsed Paulose’s nomination but now is concerned about her management style, the New York Times…

Nov 13, 2007 2:23 PM CST

Gonzales to Get $40K for Speech

Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is getting paid $40,000 to give a speech at the University of Florida. Gonzales will speak on Nov. 19, according to the Independent Florida Alligator. The event is sponsored by Accent, the student-run speakers’ bureau, the Gainesville Sun reports. A hat tip to Lawyers…

Nov 12, 2007 6:02 PM CST

DOJ Opposes Continued Microsoft Oversight

The U.S. Justice Department is opposing extension of antitrust oversight of Microsoft Corp. The DOJ brief filed Friday with a Washington, D.C., federal judge says the evidence does not show a need for five more years of oversight, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). Microsoft’s market dominance is not…

Nov 12, 2007 4:18 PM CST

Mukasey Confirmed as Attorney General

The Senate has approved Michael Mukasey’s nomination to become attorney general in a 53-40 vote. Six Democrats and one independent voted with 46 Republicans to approve the nomination yesterday evening, the New York Times reports. The vote, which came after four hours of debate, was the closest for any attorney…

Nov 9, 2007 11:53 AM CST

DOJ Lawyer Underwent Waterboarding

A Justice Department lawyer who underwent waterboarding before writing a memo calling for restrictions on its use was forced out of the Justice Department after Alberto Gonzales became attorney general. The lawyer, Daniel Levin, concluded that the simulated drowning technique could be used only under strict supervision, in limited circumstances,…

Nov 6, 2007 7:55 PM CST

Judiciary Grows, But Not as Fast as the Population

States are beefing up the ranks of the judiciary, but the extra judges are not enough to keep up with population growth. A special report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that state trial courts added 2,600 judges from 1987 to 2004, an increase of 11 percent, but the…

Nov 6, 2007 7:38 PM CST

Mukasey Nomination Moves to Full Senate

The nomination of Michael Mukasey to become attorney general has been sent to the full Senate on an 11-8 vote of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Two Democrats on the committee joined nine Republicans to vote in favor of Mukasey. The action virtually assures his confirmation, the New York Times reports.…

Nov 6, 2007 4:39 PM CST

Mukasey Nomination Likely to Move Forward

After another day of lobbying by President George Bush, two key Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee say they will vote in favor of forwarding his nomination of Michael Mukasey as U.S. attorney general to the full Senate for confirmation. Sen Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of…

Nov 2, 2007 10:18 PM CDT

Bush Defends Mukasey in Unusual Oval Office Chat

President Bush took the unusual action of inviting reporters to the Oval Office today, where he defended attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey. Bush’s chat is another indication that Mukasey’s nomination could be in trouble over his refusal to condemn waterboarding as a form of illegal torture, the New York Times…

Nov 1, 2007 5:24 PM CDT

Judge Says Mukasey Wrong on Need for New Terrorism Framework

A federal judge is defending the ability of the federal courts to hear terrorism cases—and taking issue with a suggestion to the contrary by attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour of Seattle writes in a New York Times op-ed that his experience in a terrorism trial…

Nov 1, 2007 3:26 PM CDT

Big White-Collar Prosecutions Dropping

An American Lawyer investigation of the Justice Department’s corporate fraud prosecutions shows a “precipitous decline” in major corporate fraud investigations since President Bush was re-elected. The number of white-collar filings dropped 64 percent so far this year, compared to the same period last year. The magazine says it’s not clear…

Nov 1, 2007 11:30 AM CDT