N.J. AG Nominee Has Prosecution Credentials

A woman who helped win some of the first convictions under laws intended to protect human trafficking victims will attend hearings today on her nomination to become New Jersey’s attorney general. Anne Milgram obtained the trafficking convictions at the U.S. Justice Department, the New York Times reports in a profile.…

Jun 21, 2007 2:17 PM CDT

DOJ Spurns Iraq Whistleblower Suits

A lawyer who represents whistleblowers accuses the Justice Department of dragging its feet in investigating fraud and corruption by companies hired by the government to work in Iraq.

Lawyer Alan Grayson told the House subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security that the department appears to be stonewalling, the Boston Globe reports.

“In our fifth year in the war in Iraq, the Bush administration has not litigated a single case against any war profiteer under the False Claims Act,” he said.

The department has declined to join 10 Iraq whistleblower suits filed under the False Claims Act, the newspaper reports. The government used the law last year to recover more than $3 billion in domestic cases…

Jun 20, 2007 3:06 PM CDT

Judge: Duke Rape DA Must Go Now

After working for almost 30 years in the Durham County, N.C., District Attorney’s office, disbarred DA Mike Nifong thought he could take one more month to wind up his work there. But a local judge disagreed. Nifong, who was disbarred Saturday due to the way he handled the rape prosecution…

Jun 19, 2007 9:03 PM CDT

More Missing White House E-mail; Official Cites ‘Extensive’ Violations

Far more e-mail than originally thought was sent and received by White House officials on Republican National Committee accounts, and records of many of those e-mails are missing. And that suggests there may have been “extensive” violations of federal open records law by the Bush administration, says the Democratic chair…

Jun 19, 2007 3:00 AM CDT

White Lawyer Takes Misdemeanor Plea; Black Youth Faces 20-Year Prison Term

Their crimes, arguably, are quite similar. Both were accused of shooting at another person. Both say they didn’t. And, fortunately, nobody was seriously injured in either case. But the resulting punishment faced by two Florida men is quite different. A well-connected white former prosecutor has taken a misdemeanor plea, which…

Jun 19, 2007 2:31 AM CDT

Duke Settles With Players in Rape Case

The fallout continues over three former Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape. A settlement agreement, in an undisclosed amount, was announced Monday by Duke University concerning its treatment of three former men’s lacrosse team members. Meanwhile, litigation is likely and there could even be criminal sanctions against the…

Jun 18, 2007 10:32 PM CDT

Defense Lawyers Citing DOJ Firings

The fallout over the firings of at least eight U.S. attorneys is having an impact in federal prosecutions. Defense lawyers are beginning to question prosecutors’ motives following allegations that some U.S. attorneys were fired due to political considerations, the Los Angeles Times reports. Lawyers cited the controversy in prosecutions involving…

Jun 18, 2007 6:13 PM CDT

New Law Puts Pressure on DOJ Hiring

The Justice Department will have to scramble to fill the jobs of almost two dozen U.S. attorneys and five senior DOJ officials. The pressure is on, due to a law signed last week by President Bush overturning the attorney general’s authority to appoint interim U.S. attorneys for indefinite periods, the…

Jun 18, 2007 4:06 PM CDT

Subpoena Response Poses Dilemma

President Bush faces difficult choices in responding to subpoenas for two former White House officials. Congressional committees issued subpoenas on Wednesday to Harriet Miers, who was White House counsel, and Sara Taylor, who served as public affairs director. The subpoenas seek testimony related to the firings of at least eight…

Jun 17, 2007 11:32 PM CDT

Duke Lacrosse Prosecutor Disbarred

The Durham, N.C., prosecutor who came under intense fire for his rape prosecution of three former Duke University lacrosse players was disbarred today after a state ethics panel found he violated numerous professional conduct rules. Mike Nifong tearfully testified during disciplinary proceedings on Friday that he intended to resign no…

Jun 17, 2007 12:19 AM CDT

Another Justice Department Aide Resigns

Another Justice Department aide with a link to the controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys as part of an alleged political purge has resigned. Mike Elston, chief of staff for departing Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, is leaving in a week to join a Washington, D.C., law firm. He is…

Jun 16, 2007 3:27 AM CDT

Duke Lacrosse Rape Case DA to Resign

Regardless of what happens at his ongoing trial for allegedly violating attorney ethics rules, the Durham, N.C., district attorney who prosecuted the rape case against three former Duke University lacrosse team members says he is going to resign from office. “It is my intention,” testified a teary-eyed Mike Nifong today,…

Jun 15, 2007 9:54 PM CDT

SG Steps onto Political Stage

U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, a self-described law geek, has been thrust into the political spotlight in the controversy over the firings of at least eight U.S. attorneys. As the highest ranking Justice Department official who was not involved in the hirings, Clement is charged with overseeing the DOJ’s own…

Jun 15, 2007 5:22 PM CDT

Vote on Spying Subpoenas Delayed

A senator has delayed a Judiciary Committee vote on whether to subpoena Justice Department documents related to domestic eavesdropping. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., delayed the vote on subpoenas related to the National Security Agency program for a week, the New York Times reports.

Jun 15, 2007 3:35 PM CDT

AG Influence on Testimony Probed

The leaders of an internal Justice Department investigation confirmed today that they are probing whether the attorney general tried to influence congressional testimony by former aide Monica Goodling. The disclosure was made in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Washington Post reports. Inspector General Glenn Fine and H.…

Jun 14, 2007 8:28 PM CDT