Federal Government

Meet Treasury GC Robert Hoyt, DC’s ‘Busiest Lawyer’

Legal Times describes the Treasury Department’s general counsel, Robert Hoyt, as “the busiest lawyer in Washington.” Hoyt has led the department’s legal team in recent bailouts for Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and American International Group—and he oversees a staff of 2,000 lawyers who work for the agencies that…

Sep 22, 2008 2:43 PM CDT

Judge Orders Cheney to Preserve Official Records

A federal judge has ordered Vice President Dick Cheney to preserve all his official records pending resolution of a lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction to bar destruction of the records in a lawsuit filed by a watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington,…

Sep 22, 2008 11:32 AM CDT

As Banks Reel, Regulation is Suddenly a Hot Topic

It has been less than a decade since the Glass-Steagall Act was repealed, and it is now becoming increasingly clear why we may have needed it. Enacted after banks failed in the Great Depression because of reckless investment in nontraditional areas, it restricted commercial banks from the kind of lending…

Sep 18, 2008 6:34 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Suit Claiming McCain is not a Citizen

A federal judge in San Francisco has tossed a lawsuit that had contended John McCain is not a U.S. citizen and should not be allowed on the ballot. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said McCain’s birth in the Panama Canal Zone made him a citizen under the relevant statutes, Legal…

Sep 18, 2008 3:25 PM CDT

Iraq Bombs Made From US Exports, Feds Say; 12 Indicted in Miami

As U.S. soldiers are fighting in Iraq, one of the biggest risks they face is the so-called IEDs—improvised explosive devices—that serve as bombs there. And many of the materials used to make them may have come from their own country, reports the Miami Herald. Federal authorities announced today that more…

Sep 17, 2008 7:58 PM CDT

Fed Bails Out AIG, Prompting Debate on Regulation

In an about-face, the federal government has agreed to loan the American Insurance Group $85 billion in return for a nearly 80 percent ownership interest in the company, prompting debate about government bailouts and the need for regulations. Additional regulations can mean more work for lawyers who will need to…

Sep 17, 2008 11:14 AM CDT

Sarah Palin Supporters Make ‘Loony Claim’ Against Obama ‘Operatives’

In what a columnist for U.S. News & World Report describes as a “loony claim,” a former press secretary for Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is contending that “operatives” of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama “hijacked” the Alaska investigation of Palin’s alleged improper firing of the state’s police chief. “Rarely…

Sep 16, 2008 11:02 PM CDT

Todd Palin Among 13 Subpoenaed By Alaska Lawmakers in ‘Troopergate’ Probe

The husband of Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been subpoenaed, along with aides who have refused to cooperate in an investigation of whether she improperly fired the head of the state police. A state senate judiciary committee voted 3-2 to issue the subpoenas to to…

Sep 12, 2008 11:23 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Sued President and Three Justices Targets Obama

A Philadelphia lawyer who has sued President Bush and three U.S. Supreme Court justices has filed a new suit against a new high-profile defendant—Barack Obama. In his latest lawsuit with a political twist, lawyer Philip Berg of Lafayette Hill claims Obama was born in Kenya and he should be thrown…

Sep 11, 2008 6:41 PM CDT

Wachtell Takes Credit for Drafting Mortgage Giants’ Rescue Agreement

Seventeen lawyers from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz drafted the agreement governing the Treasury Department’s takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to a lead partner on the legal team. Lawyer Harold Novikoff says lawyers worked on the contract governing the rescue for two-and-a-half weeks, reports The BLT: The…

Sep 11, 2008 11:54 AM CDT

Thailand Prime Minister Broke the Law by Hosting Cooking Show, Court Rules

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the country’s prime minister broke the law by hosting a cooking show. The court ordered Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign because he had broken a law barring cabinet ministers from working for private companies, the International Herald Tribune reports. His party said Samak…

Sep 9, 2008 1:55 PM CDT

White House Obtains Stay of Order to Turn Over Documents in Firing Probe

A federal appeals court has granted a stay of a judge’s order that White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten must turn over documents to a House committee probing the firing of nine U.S. attorneys. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the temporary stay on Thursday…

Sep 8, 2008 11:27 AM CDT

U.S. Takeover of Mortgage Giants Followed Failed Talks at Davis Polk

Updated: The announcement this weekend of a U.S. takeover of the nation’s two mortgage giants followed failed talks with potential Freddie Mac investors at the headquarters of Goldman Sachs and law firm Davis, Polk & Wardwell. Freddie Mac chief executive Richard Syron made the last-ditch pitch to investors three weeks…

Sep 8, 2008 11:02 AM CDT

Banner Year for Labor Law Expected in 2009

Regardless of who wins the November presidential election, it is expected to result in a lot of work for employment lawyers. Experts predict an “onslaught of legislation” related to employment after the election, creating numerous new rules and potential pitfalls that corporations will have to get up to speed on,…

Sep 4, 2008 8:06 PM CDT

Palin E-Mails Criticize Failure to Fire Trooper

Two e-mails from Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin criticize the failure to fire a state trooper who was formerly married to her sister. Palin is being represented by a private lawyer in an investigation into whether she fired Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan for keeping the trooper as a…

Sep 4, 2008 10:51 AM CDT