Prosecutors

NC Won’t Defend Nifong in Civil Suit Over Duke Rape Case

The state of North Carolina has refused a request by disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong that it pay his legal fees or provide a defense in a civil case over the pursuit of baseless rape charges against three former Duke University lacrosse team members. In a letter sent to Nifong…

Oct 18, 2007 5:49 PM CDT

Ex-AG, Now a Local DA, Charges Abortion Clinic

A former Kansas attorney general who wrangled with abortion clinics is continuing to take an aggressive stance as a local district attorney. Prosecutor Phill Kline charged a Planned Parenthood clinic yesterday with performing illegal late-term abortions, the New York Times reports. He also accused the clinic of failing to determine…

Oct 18, 2007 1:44 PM CDT

Praise for Mukasey, More Criticism of Gonzales

Michael Mukasey, the president’s nominee to succeed Alberto Gonzales as U.S. attorney general, was warmly welcomed by lawmakers of both parties at a confirmation hearing today, in a session that included implicit, and sometimes explicit, criticism of his predecessor. “During the afternoon session, lawmakers of both parties showered Mukasey with…

Oct 18, 2007 1:06 AM CDT

Under Fire in Congress, DOJ Mulls Jena Case

At a Congressional hearing today, U.S. Department of Justice officials said they are considering a prosecution over the handling of the case of the so-called Jena Six—black youths who apparently were treated much more harshly than whites concerning similar alleged schoolyard crimes in a small town in Louisiana. However, they…

Oct 17, 2007 12:13 AM CDT

Verizon to Feds: No Warrants, No Problem

One of the nation’s biggest cell phone service providers has been quietly providing another service, too, for the past several years. When asked by the federal government, Verizon Communications has handed over customer telephone records in hundreds of “emergency” cases since 2005, without requiring warrants or attempting to determine the…

Oct 16, 2007 11:43 PM CDT

Nifong Seeks Legal Fees in Civil Suit re Rape

Mike Nifong, the disgraced former prosecutor who is now being sued for pursuing rape charges against three former Duke lacrosse team players, has asked North Carolina to help him with his legal defense. Because the civil litigation by the exonerated defendants arose out of his work as Durham County prosecutor,…

Oct 15, 2007 11:49 PM CDT

Smart on Crime: Invest in Kids

It isn’t just the usual suspects who are urging legislators to take a different approach to national crime issues. A coalition of police, prosecutors and crime victims has formed a group called Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Its focus is to lobby for programs, such as preschool, that demonstrably make…

Oct 11, 2007 5:26 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Deposition Tells of Politics in Siegelman Case

A Republican lawyer is providing new details about allegations that politics played a role in the prosecution of former Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman. Dana Jill Simpson said that Rob Riley Jr., the son of the state’s current governor, bragged that a GOP judge would “hang” Siegelman for partisan reasons, the…

Oct 11, 2007 2:46 PM CDT

Prosecution of Ex-US Atty Hits Snag

Government lawyers contend in a trial that got under way this week that a former federal prosecutor from Detroit withheld evidence because of his ambition to win a terrorism case. But the case against former U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino hit a snag when a key witness against him admitted he…

Oct 11, 2007 12:37 PM CDT

ACLU: Feds’ Drugging of Immigrants Torture?

In a motion filed yesterday in an asylum case, the American Civil Liberties Union calls for a halt to an admitted federal policy of forcibly injecting some immigrants with psychotropic medication and putting them aboard commercial airlines for deportation. It says the practice violates federal law and the Bill of…

Oct 10, 2007 4:10 PM CDT

1,300 Arrested in Gang Crackdown

Federal and local law enforcement agencies have reportedly arrested more than 1,300 suspected gang members in 23 cities throughout the country over the past three months, as part of a “summer surge” crackdown on illegal immigrants. Those taken into custody are either prosecuted in federal court or deported, CNN said.…

Oct 9, 2007 5:24 PM CDT

Feds Pursue Obscene in Sea of Porn

Created in response to pressure from conservative groups, a little-known federal task force is trying to hold the line on obscenity. It is targeting for prosecution a small number of fringe film producers in the nation’s booming pornography industry, focusing on movies that, although otherwise legal, may fall within the…

Oct 9, 2007 3:21 PM CDT

Pro Bono Team Attacks Exec’s Prosecution

A team of pro bono attorneys from four different firms has taken up the cause of a convicted Dynegy Inc. executive and filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release from prison. By pressuring Dynegy, under threat of prosecution, to renege on its promise of paying defense costs, the federal…

Oct 8, 2007 9:16 PM CDT

Prosecutor Charged in Sex Sting Commits Suicide

A federal prosecutor accused of traveling to Detroit to have sex with a 5-year-old girl has committed suicide in prison. J. D. Roy Atchison, a U.S. attorney in Pensacola, killed himself on Friday. He was in a special housing unit for inmates who are segregated for a variety of reasons,…

Oct 8, 2007 10:27 AM CDT

Chief Gitmo Prosecutor Resigns

The chief military prosecutor for the Guantanamo Bay war tribunals has resigned, apparently over a lack of prosecutorial discretion. A Pentagon spokesman says Air Force Col. Moe Davis asked to be assigned to another post after losing a dispute over whether the higher-ranking officer responsible for holding the tribunals should…

Oct 5, 2007 11:12 PM CDT