Attorney General

Law firms hired by Ohio didn’t violate federal debt collection law via letterhead, SCOTUS rules

Special counsel hired to collect debts for the state of Ohio may use the state attorney general’s letterhead without violating the Fair Debt Collections Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a unanimous decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion (PDF) for the court. The special counsel are…

May 16, 2016 12:12 PM CDT

US tells schools to allow transgender students to use facilities matching their gender identity

The United States is sending letters to public schools across the country that says transgender students must be allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The letter “contains an implicit threat” that schools that don’t comply could face lawsuits or a loss of federal funding,…

May 13, 2016 7:16 AM CDT

DOJ and North Carolina trade lawsuits over transgender bathroom law

Updated: North Carolina filed a lawsuit Monday accusing the U.S. Justice Department of “baseless and blatant overreach” for its warning that the state’s transgender bathroom law violates the federal Civil Rights Act. Hours later, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit (PDF) asserting that North Carolina’s entities were in violation of…

May 9, 2016 9:50 AM CDT

North Carolina transgender bathroom legislation violates Civil Rights Act, DOJ says

North Carolina’s House Bill 2, the recently passed legislation that restricts public bathroom use for transgender individuals, violates both Title VII and Title IX of the U.S. Civil Rights Act, the justice department wrote in a letter (PDF) to the state’s governor Wednesday. Gov. Pat McCrory has until Monday to…

May 4, 2016 4:50 PM CDT

Monitoring of my Twitter account showed racial bias, state lawyer says in labor complaint

A lawyer with the Oregon Department of Justice claims he was the victim of racial bias when co-workers investigated his tweets that used the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Erious Johnson Jr. has filed a civil-rights complaint with the state labor department, along with a notice of intent to sue. Johnson is civil…

Apr 18, 2016 8:59 AM CDT

Another bank settles with DOJ over sales of risky mortgages; did it get a better deal than others?

Goldman Sachs Group has agreed to pay $5.06 billion to settle government claims that it sold risky mortgage securities to investors without disclosing the problems. The settlement includes $1.8 billion for consumer relief, nearly $2.39 billion in federal civil penalties, and $875 million to settle other federal and state claims,…

Apr 12, 2016 9:46 AM CDT

Judge overstepped his authority by blocking deferred prosecution agreement, appeals court says

A trial judge who refused to suspend speedy trial limits because of his disapproval of a deferred prosecution agreement “significantly overstepped” his authority, a federal appeals court has ruled. The decision (PDF) on Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated the refusal by U.S. District…

Apr 6, 2016 1:26 PM CDT

Pardon attorney’s resignation letter cites backlogs and reversals

The Obama administration’s pardon attorney, Deborah Leff, said in a January resignation letter that she could not continue in her job because of backlogs caused by a lack of resources and directions over priorities. USA Today used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain a copy of the letter (PDF),…

Mar 29, 2016 11:48 AM CDT

Justice Department resumes forfeiture sharing program

The U.S. Justice Department is resuming an equitable-sharing program that allowed local police to use federal law to seize property connected to criminal activity and keep up to 80 percent of the proceeds. Critics had hoped the Justice Department’s suspension of the program in December was an indication the attorney…

Mar 29, 2016 9:01 AM CDT

Fast-track death-penalty appeals get a boost with 9th Circuit standing decision

Justice Department regulations that would allow states to certify capital cases for fast-track habeas appeals can’t be challenged by two organizations that represent death-row inmates, a federal appeals court has ruled. Fast-track appeals are a step closer as a result of the March 23 appellate decision, the Wall Street Journal…

Mar 28, 2016 8:05 AM CDT

Second-highest bidder is OK’d to buy corporate owner of OC Register after DOJ files antitrust suit

Updated: A federal bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of the corporate owner of two California newspapers to the second-highest bidder in a bankruptcy auction after the U.S. Justice Department objected to Tribune Publishing’s plans to buy the company. U.S. District Judge Mark Wallace approved the sale of Freedom Communications…

Mar 21, 2016 1:45 PM CDT

Justice Department warns local courts about illegal enforcement of fees and fines

The U.S. Justice Department is sending a “dear colleague letter” warning state and local courts about constitutional concerns regarding fees and fines imposed on poor defendants. The letter (PDF) from the department’s Civil Rights Division and the Office for Access to Justice urges courts to review procedures regarding fines to…

Mar 14, 2016 12:11 PM CDT

Justice Department reportedly grants immunity to staffer who set up Clinton’s email server

The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly granted immunity to a former State Department staffer who set up Hillary Clinton’s private email server at her home. The government granted immunity to former staffer Bryan Pagliano as part of a criminal investigation into possible mishandling of classified information, the Washington Post reports.…

Mar 3, 2016 10:25 AM CST

Facing an impeachment probe, Pennsylvania AG says she won’t seek re-election

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced on Tuesday that she won’t seek re-election. Kane’s announcement “puts an end date on a tumultuous chapter in her once-promising political career,” the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.) reports. “Kane swept into office in January 2013 as the first woman and first Democrat elected attorney…

Feb 17, 2016 9:54 AM CST

Texas attorney general’s gay-marriage advice requires ethics probe, panel says

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will have to respond to an ethics complaint for advising local officials they didn’t have to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals reinstated the ethics complaint against Paxton on Feb. 2, report the Associated Press, the Austin American-Statesman, the…

Feb 11, 2016 10:01 AM CST