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CIA Waterboarders Won't Be Prosecuted
 CIA Waterboarders 
 Won't Be Prosecuted 
updated
Apr 16, 2009 1:56 PM CDT

CIA Waterboarders Won't Be Prosecuted

(Newser) - Seeking to move beyond what he calls a "a dark and painful chapter in our history," President Barack Obama said today that CIA officials who used harsh interrogation tactics during the Bush administration will not be prosecuted. Obama officials also released four secret memos detailing tactics against 28...

AIG Bonuses Higher Than Thought: $218M

Five at firm got more than $4M: Blumenthal

(Newser) - AIG documents show the firm paid out $218 million in bonuses—higher than the $165 million that had been disclosed, says Connecticut’s attorney general. The papers show five at the firm scored bonuses of more than $4 million, said Richard Blumenthal, whose office received the papers last night after...

US Halts Raids on Medical Marijuana Facilities

Holder signals major shift from Bush era's zero tolerance

(Newser) - Attorney general Eric Holder said yesterday that the Justice Department will no longer prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries that operate legally in California and 12 other states, reports the Los Angeles Times. While he and other Obama officials had hinted previously at the change, the AG's announcement was the most detailed...

Merrill Bonus Beneficiaries May Be Revealed Within Week

BoA argues that disclosure will give competitors an unfair advantage

(Newser) - A decision could come next week on disclosure of the names of Merrill Lynch employees who received $3.6 billion in bonuses last year, despite the firm posting a $15.8 billion fourth-quarter loss, Bloomberg reports. Bank of America argued today against release, saying its compensation scheme would be a...

Marri Faces Charges of Aiding Al-Qaeda

Indictment unsealed; transfer of 'combatant' to civilian court begins

(Newser) - The charges against Ali al-Marri include conspiracy and material support for terrorism, according to a federal indictment unsealed today. The only alleged enemy combatant held on US soil is incarcerated in a naval brig in South Carolina, where he has been held for over 5 years without being charged, and...

Holder Makes Solo Visit to Guantanamo

AG visits detention center Obama pledges to shut down

(Newser) - Eric Holder is en route to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, reports the AP, as the government weighs what is needed to shut the facility down. No news reporters are accompanying the attorney general on the flight, and it remains unclear if Holder will open any of his visit...

Alaska AG, Troopergate Fixture, Resigns

(Newser) - Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg, a key figure in the Troopergate scandal that dogged Sarah Palin's vice presidential bid, has resigned "in the best interest" of the state, Palin's office said in a statement today. Colberg represented seven of the state employees subpoenaed as a result of the abuse-of-power...

Black Leaders Pin High Hopes on New AG

Civil rights advocates see opportunity for change under Holder

(Newser) - For decades, black men have been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to execution at disproportionate rates. Now, with the appointment of the country's first African-American attorney general, black leaders are hoping Eric Holder will help the Justice Department reform what they see as a broken system. "The most important thing...

Senate OKs Holder as First Black AG

Partisan debate hinges on prosecuting agents who used torture

(Newser) - Eric Holder won Senate confirmation today as the nation's first African-American attorney general, after supporters from both parties touted his dream resume and easily overcame Republican concerns over his commitment to fight terrorism and his willingness to back the right to keep and bear arms, the AP reports. The vote...

Senate Committee OKs Holder for Attorney General

Cornyn, Coburn dissent in 17-2 vote; full body could confirm tomorrow

(Newser) - Senate Republicans did little to stop the progress of Barack Obama's choice for attorney general, with the Judiciary Committee voting 17-2 today to endorse Eric Holder; John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Republicans both, were the lone dissenters. The Senate could vote as early as tomorrow to...

Paterson's Poll Numbers Tank After Debacle With Caroline

Guv cancels Davos trip to shore up support

(Newser) - New York Gov. David Paterson's poll numbers have hit the toilet as he grapples with a $15.8 billion deficit and reaction to his handling of the Caroline Kennedy Senate decision, reports the New York Daily News. The numbers have so spooked Paterson that he's decided to ditch his trip...

Babs Backs Holder for AG
 Babs Backs Holder for AG 
Jan 26, 2009 1:33 PM CST

Babs Backs Holder for AG

Streisand urges fellow lefties to fight for Obama nominee

(Newser) - Barbra Streisand is using her star power to push for the speedy confirmation of Eric Holder as attorney general, Politico reports. In a letter, Babs asks like-minded people to sign a petition supporting a man who is “committed to liberty, the rule of law, and our constitutional rights.”...

GOP Questions Put Brakes on Holder Vote

Committee will wait week on AG nominee, infuriating chair Leahy

(Newser) - The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed today’s scheduled vote on Eric Holder’s confirmation by another week, CNN reports. Republican members engineered the move, saying they have questions about the attorney-general nominee’s stance on interrogation techniques. Chairman Patrick Leahy, who said he was “extremely disappointed,” banged down...

Real Reason for Rich Pardon: Israeli Pressure
Real Reason for Rich Pardon: Israeli Pressure
OPINION
Jan 16, 2009 8:59 AM CST

Real Reason for Rich Pardon: Israeli Pressure

It's a taboo topic in DC, as evidenced by Holder's hearing

(Newser) - For the sake of a quiet confirmation, attorney general nominee Eric Holder is letting us forget the real reason for Bill Clinton’s controversial Marc Rich pardon. Clinton didn’t let Rich off the hook because of his generous wife, writes Joe Conason in Salon. He did so because of...

Holder Slams Rendition, Tribunals
 Holder Slams 
 Rendition, Tribunals 
UPDATED
Jan 15, 2009 4:07 PM CST

Holder Slams Rendition, Tribunals

Attorney-general nominee signals clear break with Bush practices

(Newser) - Attorney General-designate Eric Holder continued his forceful rebuke of Bush administration policies at his confirmation hearing today, Politico reports. Holder slammed rendition, saying it “should not be the policy or practice of our great nation,” and criticized the military commissions trying Guantanamo detainees. They don’t “have...

Holder: Waterboarding Is Torture

But supports FISA, Patriot Act

(Newser) - Eric Holder minced no words when asked about waterboarding in his confirmation hearing today. “Waterboarding is torture,” the AG-designate said, a declaration neither Michael Mukasey nor Alberto Gonzales was willing to make. He said that, even in emergencies, the president couldn’t override the constitution. Republicans also leapt...

Holder Pushed Clemency for Puerto Rican Militants

Obama's attorney-general pick helped commute sentences for PR nationalists

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s attorney-general nominee fought for clemency for 16 militant Puerto Rican nationalists during his time in the Clinton administration, the Los Angeles Times reports. Eric Holder pushed Justice Department subordinates to pave the way to Clinton’s clemency grant, documents show, sparking fury from law-enforcement officials who’d...

Republicans Picking a Fight Over Holder

Dems need one GOP vote to move AG pick out of committee

(Newser) - Senate Republicans seem to have settled on attorney-general-designate Eric Holder as their main target for a tough confirmation hearing. Thanks to his liberal leanings and his role in the Clinton administration—especially the controversial 11th-hour Marc Rich pardon—Holder will get a grilling in the Judiciary Committee. Ranking Republican Arlen...

4 Justice Dept. Picks Mark Break From Bush Era

Obama taps Harvard dean, Clinton vets

(Newser) - Barack Obama announced his nominees for four top positions in the Justice Department yesterday, all of whom suggest a sharp turn away from Bush-era legal policies. Among them is Elena Kagan, the dean of Harvard Law School and a Clinton adviser, who is the first woman named solicitor general. In...

Bell, Carter's AG, Dead at 90
 Bell, Carter's AG, Dead at 90 
Jan 5, 2009 5:24 PM CST

Bell, Carter's AG, Dead at 90

Bell defanged Jim Crow as appellate court judge

(Newser) - Griffin Bell, a Southerner who opposed racial segregation and led the Justice Department under President Carter, died today at age 90, the New York Times reports. Bell handled damage control as a post-Nixon attorney general, de-politicizing the Justice Department and the FBI. His earlier rulings as an appeals court judge,...

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