Government

9/11 Rubble Can Stay in Landfill, Federal Judge Says

A federal judge in Manhattan has dismissed a lawsuit brought by families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. It had sought a court order requiring more than a million tons of rubble that may contain some human remains to be moved from a garbage dump…

Jul 8, 2008 2:37 PM CDT

‘Profile’ Investigations By FBI Being Considered at DOJ

The Department of Justice is considering a policy change that would allow the FBI to investigate individuals within the U.S. without any basis other than that they fall within a “profile” considered to be suspicious. The change, which is being considered as part of a planned revision of investigative guidelines…

Jul 3, 2008 7:04 PM CDT

Appeals Court Rules for Grasso in Compensation Case

The battle over the $187.5 million compensation package for Richard Grasso has ended in a win for the former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. A New York appeals court ruled that the state attorney general did not have authority to prosecute two violations of the state’s nonprofit law…

Jul 2, 2008 1:35 PM CDT

Law re Sex Materials Sellers Voided by Federal Judge in Indiana

Saying that it could apply to a drugstore selling a romance novel or a widow making a few bucks by selling her husband’s Playboy magazines at a garage sale, a federal judge in Indiana has voided a new state law requiring retailers to pay a registration fee in order to…

Jul 1, 2008 10:38 PM CDT

Another AG Sues Countrywide

The attorney general of Florida has sued Countrywide Financial Corp. over its mortgage lending practices, contending that they were deceptive and unfair and not properly disclosed in securities filings. “Underscoring the aggressiveness of its lending practices—aimed at maximizing the company’s profits regardless of credit risk—the complaint said Countrywide’s own underwriters…

Jul 1, 2008 6:44 PM CDT

The Forgotten

Iraqis who helped American soldiers are being slaughtered. A small band of U.S. lawyers is fighting to save their lives.

Jul 1, 2008 1:15 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Fake Letter Complaining About Boss Puts Her in Hot Water

Attorney Maureen Duggan wasn’t happy with her boss at a state agency in Connecticut. But she was afraid that openly complaining about him could put her job at risk. So she drafted a letter in 2004 that was written to appear as if the sender were a parking lot attendant…

Jun 30, 2008 7:09 PM CDT

Scientist to Get $5.8M Settlement from DOJ in Anthrax Case

Steven Hatfill, a former Army scientist who says the government violated his privacy rights and damaged his reputation by leaking investigative details to reporters about his role as a “person of interest” in 2001 anthrax attacks, has won a $5.8 million settlement from the Department of Justice. According to court…

Jun 27, 2008 10:30 PM CDT

Law Firm’s New Practice Area: Litigation Support for State AGs

A former Washington, D.C., attorney general is co-chairing a new practice group at her new law firm: providing litigation support to her former colleagues in other states. Linda Singer’s new role at Zuckerman Spaeder expands the scope of work being handled by the D.C.-based national litigation boutique, which ordinarily represents…

Jun 27, 2008 10:09 PM CDT

Another Top Cop is Murdered in Mexico

In a murder that apparently may relate to the assassination last month of another top Mexican police official at his Mexico City home, a senior police official and a bodyguard were gunned down as they ate lunch yesterday in Mexico City. Three other bodyguards and several civilians were wounded in…

Jun 27, 2008 5:38 PM CDT

High Court Takes Up Environmental Dispute Involving Permit Authority

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an environmental challenge to a gold mining company’s plan to dump waste in a lake in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. At issue is whether the Army Corps of Engineers has the authority to issue a permit for the dumping if the action…

Jun 27, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

Calif. Judge Removed from Bench Because of Expense Issue

A former prosecutor serving as an Orange County, Calif., judge must be removed from office, the state Commission on Judicial Performance has decided in a 7-3 ruling made public yesterday. The panel said in its opinion that Superior Court Judge Kelly MacEachern “engaged in willful misconduct” by seeking government reimbursement…

Jun 27, 2008 2:57 PM CDT

Attorney for Sect Teen Refuses to Testify in Texas Grand Jury Hearing

A Texas grand jury apparently investigating alleged sexual abuse of girls by a polygamous religious sect reportedly tried to call an attorney for one 16-year-old, Natalie Malonis, to testify yesterday. But Malonis refused, citing attorney-client privilege, which led to an interruption in the San Angelo grand jury hearing as Judge…

Jun 26, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

Lawyer Under Armed Guard as Grand Jury Hears Texas Sect Case

A court-appointed lawyer for a 16-year-old member of a polygamous religious sect was reportedly under armed guard today as she arrived for a Texas grand jury hearing in an ongoing investigation of alleged abuse of teen and pre-teen girls by members of the sect. Attorney Natalie Malonis apparently was representing…

Jun 25, 2008 10:46 PM CDT

If Not Gitmo, NIMBY, Senators Say; Detainee Not Yet Told of Appellate Win

After an appellate court ruling that a military prisoner held for more than six years without trial was improperly classified as an “enemy combatant,” the closure of the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay—as called for by the presumptive presidential candidates for both major political parties—appears likely. But where should…

Jun 25, 2008 9:59 PM CDT