Attorney General

Gibson Dunn partner says he would turn down a solicitor general nomination

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Miguel Estrada doesn’t intend to go through another bruising confirmation battle. Estrada was said to be a top possible nominee for solicitor general, but Estrada told the National Law Journal (sub. req.) that he would turn down the nomination. “I have only respect and best…

Mar 1, 2017 4:29 PM CST

Farewell to a Friend: Janet Reno worked closely with the ABA

Janet Reno’s death in November was felt acutely in the ranks of the American Bar Association. Several ABA leaders described Reno, who worked as U.S. attorney general from 1993 to 2001, as a great friend of the association. In many ways, the feeling was mutual.

Mar 1, 2017 1:15 AM CST

Justice Department takes ‘a complete 180-degree turn’ in voting rights case

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday dropped a claim that a strict voter ID law in Texas was enacted with discriminatory intent. Proof of discriminatory intent would force Texas to get federal approval before making changes to its voting laws, report the New York Times and the Washington Post. Civil…

Feb 28, 2017 4:49 PM CST

DOJ reports on unconstitutional policing are ‘pretty anecdotal,’ attorney general says

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday said he hadn’t read the full Justice Department reports on unconstitutional police practices in Ferguson, Missouri, and Chicago, but the summaries were “pretty anecdotal, and not so scientifically based.” Sessions talked about making the fight against violent crime a priority in a briefing with…

Feb 28, 2017 12:13 PM CST

Trump administration rescinds Obama policy on transgender restrooms, cites lack of legal analysis

The Trump administration on Wednesday rescinded a directive that had told public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

Feb 23, 2017 8:20 AM CST

Trump will revise travel ban; government brief says lawful permanent residents not affected

Updated: President Donald J. Trump plans to issue a revised executive order to replace his temporary travel ban, according to a Department of Justice brief filed on Thursday with the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The supplemental brief (PDF) says a 9th Circuit panel that upheld a…

Feb 16, 2017 2:25 PM CST

DOJ tells judge it doesn’t object to injunction blocking Obama policy on transgender restrooms

A day after Jeff Sessions was sworn in as U.S. attorney general, the Justice Department indicated possible disagreement with the Obama administration’s directive telling public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. In a court filing on Friday, the Justice Department…

Feb 13, 2017 10:07 AM CST

Trump signs executive orders intended to ‘restore safety in America’

President Donald Trump signed three executive orders Thursday that underscore his campaign pledge to crack down on violent crime. Trump signed the orders after U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions was sworn in as attorney general, report the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun and Bloomberg News. Trump said he was signing the…

Feb 9, 2017 3:11 PM CST

Jeff Sessions is confirmed as attorney general

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions was confirmed as U.S. attorney general on Wednesday evening on a 52-47 vote. The only Democrat who voted for the Alabama Republican was Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the Washington Post reports. The New York Times calls the Senate confirmation process for Sessions “ferocious even…

Feb 9, 2017 8:20 AM CST

9th Circuit panel shows some skepticism as administration defends Trump’s temporary immigrant ban

Members of a federal appeals court panel on Tuesday appeared skeptical while questioning a Justice Department lawyer about President Donald Trump’s power to enact a temporary travel ban on some immigrants in the name of national security. The New York Times described the live-streamed telephone hearing before the San Francisco-based…

Feb 8, 2017 8:26 AM CST

Federal appeals court refuses to immediately reinstate Trump’s immigrant travel ban

A federal appeals court on Sunday refused to immediately reinstate President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals acted (PDF) after U.S. District Judge James Robart issued a nationwide temporary restraining…

Feb 6, 2017 8:31 AM CST

DOJ lawyer says more than 100,000 visas have been revoked; State Department says number is 60,000

Updated: A Justice Department lawyer told a federal judge in Virginia on Friday that more than 100,000 visas have been revoked as a result of President Donald Trump’s order temporarily banning immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States. Lawyer Erez Reuveni of the department’s Office of Immigration…

Feb 3, 2017 12:25 PM CST

Sessions’ AG nomination advances; rule change paves way for two other nominees

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 along party lines on Wednesday to forward the nomination of Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general to the U.S. Senate. Sessions is expected to be confirmed by the end of the week, report the Washington Post and the Hill. The committee vote was…

Feb 1, 2017 11:18 AM CST

Senate Judiciary Committee debates whether Sessions will be an independent attorney general

President Donald Trump’s firing of acting attorney general Sally Yates led to questions on Tuesday about Sen. Jeff Sessions’ ability to be independent if he becomes attorney general. Questions were raised as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepared to vote on Sessions’ nomination, the Washington Post, the New York Times and…

Jan 31, 2017 11:41 AM CST

Trump fires acting attorney general who won’t defend immigration order; states file litigation

Updated: President Donald Trump on Monday evening fired acting attorney general Sally Yates after she refused to defend his executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States. A White House statement said Yates “has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing…

Jan 31, 2017 8:49 AM CST