Justice Department

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US to Investigate Deaths of Two Detainees

Holder orders pair of inquiries but drops nearly 100 others

(Newser) - The is-it-torture debate is probably going to rev up again: The Justice Department says it will launch criminal inquiries into the deaths of two detainees in US custody in 2002 and 2003, reports the Washington Post . Eric Holder gave the green light on the recommendation of federal prosecutor John Durham,...

Holder Backs Release of 5,500 Crack Offenders

Proposal would correct vast crack/cocaine sentencing gap

(Newser) - Eric Holder today told the US Sentencing Commission that he supports a proposal to release thousands of federal prisoners convicted on crack-related offenses. Until Congress changed them last year, federal sentencing guidelines gave crack users—who are predominantly poor and black—much harsher sentences than powder cocaine users. Now, Holder...

Arizona Sues Feds Over Medical Marijuana

Jan Brewer wants clarification on federal law before proceeding

(Newser) - Arizona's medical marijuana law is now stuck in legal limbo. Gov. Jan Brewer has put a temporary halt on the permit process for dispensaries just days before it was to begin, reports the Arizona Republic . Brewer and the state won't move ahead until they get clarification on whether...

NYT Reporter Subpoenaed in CIA Leak Case

James Risen hasn't cooperated in case against his alleged source

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors have issued a subpoena demanding testimony from New York Times reporter James Risen in the case against ex-CIA employee Jeffrey Sterling, who allegedly leaked info about a failed CIA disinformation campaign to him for a 2006 book. A judge has already quashed one subpoena issued to Risen, but...

Goldman Expects Barrage of Subpoenas

Move could presage criminal charges

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs officials believe federal prosecutors are about to slap them with a series of subpoenas as it follows up on the scathing report on the company from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that they expect the Justice Department to come knocking within...

Nasdaq, ICE Drop Bid for NYSE Euronext

They recognized transaction would not receive regulatory approval

(Newser) - Nasdaq and IntercontinentalExchange are withdrawing their proposed $11 billion bid for the parent of the New York Stock Exchange after recognizing they would not receive regulatory approval for the transaction. The two financial giants announced today that they had held unsuccessful talks with the antitrust division of the Justice Department...

John Ensign Hit With Scathing Ethics Report

Senate panel refers case to Justice Department for investigation

(Newser) - Former Sen. John Ensign of Nevada broke federal law, made false statements to the FEC, and obstructed a Senate Ethics Committee's investigation into his conduct, the panel said today in a scathing report that sent the matter to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. The former GOP lawmaker "...

Here's Why You Kept Losing at Online Poker

Stats guru Nate Silver made most of his money playing in the boom years

(Newser) - Nate Silver offers a lengthy primer on the online poker industry and its prospects for survival after the recent crackdown by the feds , with this interesting reveal from the stats whiz: "Between 2004 and 2006, I played a substantial amount of online poker, using it as my primary source...

Conservatives Pummel Holder as Soft on Porn

But Justice Department says obscenity better tackled at other levels

(Newser) - The Justice Department is shutting down the Bush-era Obscenity Protection Task Force, reports Politico , and critics are bashing AG Eric Holder for not being tougher on porn and smut. "As the toxic waste of obscenity continues to spread and harm everyone it touches, it appears the Obama administration is...

Feds Suspect Banks Colluded to Fix Interest Rate

Citigroup, Bank of America often reported similar numbers

(Newser) - The Justice Department and the SEC are investigating whether banks colluded to hold down a key interest rate before and during the financial crisis, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . The London interbank offered rate, or Libor, is calculated based on banks' self-reported borrowing costs. But from 2006 to 2008...

New Orleans Cops Abusive: Report

Justice Department slams cops for use of force, racial bias

(Newser) - The Justice Department has released a scathing report lambasting the New Orleans Police Department for repeatedly using deadly force without justification, making unconstitutional arrests, and engaging in racial profiling, among other misdeeds. "Even the most serious uses of force, such as officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths, are investigated inadequately...

Obama: Law Against Gay Marriage Unconstitutional

In big shift, feds will no longer defend DOMA in court

(Newser) - Big win for gay rights advocates: The Obama administration has concluded that the Defense of Marriage Act—the law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriage—is unconstitutional and won't defend it in court anymore, reports NPR . The president gave the Justice Department its new marching orders today, and Eric...

FBI's Anthrax Case Not 'Conclusive:' Report

Scientists find long-criticized case against Bruce Ivins has holes

(Newser) - The FBI’s scientific evidence against Bruce Ivins in the 2001 anthrax attacks isn’t as compelling as advertised, the National Research Council concluded yesterday, after an exhaustive $1.1 million review. The case against Ivins has long been criticized (Glenn Greenwald gives a nice history of it here ),...

US Reluctantly Defends Federal Ban on Gay Marriage

Justice Department appeals judge's ruling that it's unconstitutional

(Newser) - A Justice Department filing yesterday backed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The move appeals a federal judge’s ruling calling DOMA unconstitutional, TPM reports. But the administration asserted that it doesn’t support the act; the filing merely adhered to...

Feds Building Conspiracy Case Against Assange

Charges would sidestep First Amendment issues

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors searching for criminal charges to lodge against Julian Assange are trying to build a conspiracy case against him. Officials are seeking to determine whether the WikiLeaks founder encouraged accused leaker Bradley Manning to provide the site with classified files, the New York Times reports. Prosecutors are examining chat...

US Sues BP, 8 Others Over Gulf Oil Spill

Feds want to recover billions of dollars in damages

(Newser) - The Justice Department today sued BP and eight other companies in the Gulf oil spill disaster in an effort to recover billions of dollars from the largest offshore spill in US history. The Obama administration's lawsuit asks that the companies be held liable without limitation under the Oil Pollution Act...

Justice Dept. Drops John Ensign Probe

Affair didn't violate lobbying laws; Senate still investigating

(Newser) - The Justice Department is no longer targeting Sen. John Ensign in a criminal investigation arising from his affair with a former campaign aide and has no plans to charge him, attorneys for the Nevada Republican said yesterday. The department has been looking into whether Ensign conspired with staff aide Doug...

Assange Could Face Espionage Act Charges

Ecuador, meanwhile, offers WikiLeaks founder residency

(Newser) - The US government is trying to pin Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks cohorts with charges under the Espionage Act—a 1917 law that predated various Supreme Court cases expanding First Amendment protections. The FBI is examining everyone who came into possession of the State Department cables that leaked yesterday, sources...

Report: US Gave Nazis 'Safe Haven'

DOJ findings on Nazis in America after war

(Newser) - In the aftermath of World War II, numerous Nazis turned to an unlikely safe haven: the United States of America. The New York Times has obtained a hotly sought-after Justice Department report, which Justice itself tried to block for four years, that details the US government's twisted and complex past...

Yet Another Blackwater Case Collapses

Issues with evidence, immunity make prosecution tough

(Newser) - Legal cases against Blackwater employees accused of committing murder and other violent crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan have been collapsing one by one, the New York Times reports. This week, the Justice Department dropped a case against an armorer accused of killing a guard to an Iraqi official; the move...

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