Attorney General

Judge permanently blocks Trump’s sanctuary cities order, while Sessions announces point-based grants

A federal judge on Monday issued a permanent injunction that blocks President Donald Trump’s order denying funds to sanctuary cities that don’t cooperate in immigration enforcement.

Nov 21, 2017 9:02 AM CST

Justice Department sues to block AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner; Trump tweets may factor in case

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday filed an antitrust suit seeking to block AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. The suit points out that AT&T’s DirecTV is the nation’s largest distributor of traditional subscription television, and Time Warner owns many top TV networks, including TNT, TBS, CNN, and HBO.…

Nov 20, 2017 4:40 PM CST

Sessions considers new special counsel, says politics won’t affect decision

Updated: Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he can't appoint a special counsel to probe Republican concerns unless the facts justify the need.

Nov 14, 2017 8:27 AM CST

Law prof asks if US attorney’s ouster is new ‘Saturday Night Massacre’ setup; senator wants answers

The resignation of U.S. Attorney Dana Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia has led to speculation by a Harvard law professor and a demand by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., for answers.

Nov 9, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Prosecutors drop case against protester who erupted in ‘chortle of disdain’ during Sessions hearing

The U.S. Justice Department has dropped charges against an activist who laughed during January confirmation hearings for Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The department dropped charges against Code Pink activist Desiree Fairooz on Monday, report the Huffington Post, NPR, the Washington Post and Politico. Fairooz says she let out a “chortle…

Nov 8, 2017 4:08 PM CST

Judge is ‘appalled’ and ‘embarrassed’ by government’s whistleblower case against ManorCare

Updated: A federal magistrate judge says the government’s whistleblower case against HCR ManorCare Inc. is a “huge waste of money” that rests on testimony from an expert witness with an “utter lack of credibility.”

Nov 7, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Justice Department asks Supreme Court to consider discipline for ACLU lawyers in abortion case

The U.S. Justice Department alleges lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union effectively thwarted Supreme Court review in the case of a teen immigrant seeking an abortion by misleading government lawyers about how quickly she could have the procedure.

Nov 3, 2017 1:33 PM CDT

Trump calls for renewed Hillary probe in tweets, wishes he could give orders to DOJ and FBI

President Donald Trump is renewing his call for an investigation of Hillary Clinton in a series of tweets referencing new claims that she effectively gained control of the Democratic National Committee during the campaign. “Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isn’t looking into all of the dishonesty…

Nov 3, 2017 10:48 AM CDT

Sessions reportedly opposed the idea of a Russia meeting when Papadopoulos suggested it to Trump

Attorney General Jeff Sessions and then-candidate Donald Trump reportedly attended a meeting in which former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos said he had connections who could set up a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Papadopoulos made the suggestion at a March 31, 2016, meeting between foreign policy advisers and…

Nov 3, 2017 8:58 AM CDT

Sessions blasts judges issuing nationwide injunctions, calls them ‘super-legislators’

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday criticized judges who have issued nationwide injunctions that blocked Trump administration policies, calling the judges “super-legislators for the entire United States.”

Oct 26, 2017 3:22 PM CDT

House committees will investigate Justice Department’s handling of Hillary Clinton email probe

The Republican chairmen of two House committees have announced they will jointly investigate the Justice Department’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe last year. Chairmen Bob Goodlatte of the House Judiciary Committee and Trey Gowdy of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced the investigation in a statement,…

Oct 24, 2017 11:58 AM CDT

Justice Department limits use of secrecy orders when accessing digital data

Microsoft is taking steps to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the government’s routine use of secrecy orders when accessing digital data after the Department of Justice agreed to change its practices. Microsoft announced the development in a press release that called the government’s new policy “a significant milestone in Microsoft’s fight…

Oct 24, 2017 10:40 AM CDT

New York attorney general opens civil rights probe of Weinstein Co.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has opened a civil rights probe into the Weinstein Co. following several allegations of sexual harassment against producer and company co-founder Harvey Weinstein. Schneiderman announced the probe in a statement, report the Associated Press, Variety and the New York Times. “No New Yorker should…

Oct 23, 2017 1:57 PM CDT

Sessions says Mueller hasn’t interviewed him, declines to testify on his conversations with Trump

Attorney General Jeff Sessions declined to discuss his conversations with President Donald Trump about the May firing of FBI director James Comey or the investigation of Russian influence during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday,

Oct 18, 2017 1:22 PM CDT

DOJ sends a hate-crimes lawyer to Iowa to help prosecution in murder of gender-fluid student

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sending a hate-crimes lawyer to Iowa to help local prosecutors in their case against a man accused of murdering a high-school student. The Justice Department lawyer, Christopher Perras, will act as a county prosecutor in the shooting death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson, who was killed…

Oct 16, 2017 2:55 PM CDT