Apathy.net - Justice Department

Gonzales Resigns

john — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:55:57 -0400

With an announcement scheduled for this morning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned.

Impeachments Of Cheney And Gonzales Gain Momentum

john — Fri, 3 Aug 2007 09:19:35 -0400

Resolutions to impeach vice-president Cheney, H Res 333, and attorney general Gonzales, H Res 589, are gaining co-sponsors with each passing day.

Time: Bush Needs Gonzales To Avoid Prosecutors

john — Fri, 3 Aug 2007 08:47:09 -0400

Time magazine has an interesting take on the continuing saga that is the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' tenure.

Congress Alleges Illegal Activity During And After Attorney Firings

john — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:11:29 -0400

As the House Judiciary Committee prepares to seek formal contempt charges against current and past administration officials, they have released a report detailing specific accusations of misconduct and outright illegal activity in relation to the firing of nine U.S. attorneys and the subsequent effort to cover-up the mess.

Contempt Meet Disdain

john — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:41:06 -0400

As Congress threatens to hold current and past Administration officials in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify, the Bush Administration is threatening to order the Justice Department to simply ignore the contempt citations.

Justice Department Working To Shrink Voter Rolls

john — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:28:55 -0400

In another case of the Department of Justice selectively enforcing laws comes a tale of disenfranchisement of voters. The Justice Department's Voting Section is pressuring ten states to purge "ineligible" voters from their rolls. At the same time, the same body refuses to compel the states to enforce new laws that require people applying for social services be given an opportunity to register to vote.

Court Restricts Wiretapping Suits

john — Sat, 7 Jul 2007 10:34:35 -0400

In a split decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that you cannot sue the government over illegal wiretapping unless you can prove that you were personally effected by it. That appears to leave out everyone but Wendell Belew, a D.C. attorney who was accidentally handed a copy of his surveillance record in 2004.

Leahy May Seek Bush Contempt Charge

john — Tue, 3 Jul 2007 08:35:03 -0400

Following the White House's refusal to turn over documents related to its involvement in the firing of nine U.S. attorney's, Congress has issued subpoena's for the information. The White House, again this week, has refused to honor the subpoenas citing executive privilege.

Gonzales Plans Annual Political Reviews For U.S. Attorneys

john — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:00:18 -0400

A new development from the Attorney scandal is almost impossible to believe, but I've seen it from two different sources now; so, I'm passing it on to you. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is planning to conduct annual reviews for the various U.S. Attorneys, like the eight recently fired, in which they will discuss complaints against them from politicians.

Gonzales Uses Interim Appointments Against Congressional Wishes

john — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:36:51 -0400

Both houses of Congress passed a bill that has been sitting on Bush's desk since June 4th that would eliminate the ability of the Attorney General to make interim appointments to the U.S. Attorney positions. While it awaits the president's signature, Gonzales is going ahead an making appointments.

'Shield' For Bloggers Under Attack From Bush Administration

john — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:50:01 -0400

Part of the proposed Free Flow Of Information Act would shield bloggers from having to reveal their sources to authorities. The Bush Administration is opposed to the idea.

Investigation Of Attorney Firings Draws Subpoenas Of Bush Staffers

john — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 08:19:02 -0400

Congress has subpoenaed former presidential legal counsel Harriet Miers and political director Sara Taylor to testify before committees investigation the firing of federal prosecutors.

Cheney Interfered In Justice Department Over Wiretapping Issue

john — Thu, 7 Jun 2007 07:38:36 -0400

According to the written testimony of James Comey, vice president Cheney's office and Cheney himself, waded into the Justice Department's internal struggles over the legality of the domestic wiretapping program. It is further alleged that Cheney blocked the promotion of a justice department lawyer responsible for the dissent.

Headlines (5/18/2007)

john — Fri, 18 May 2007 09:29:15 -0400

Today's headlines are a mixed bag of political, business, and environmental news. Some good, some bad, some just more of the same:

Google wins part of nude-photo suit. This is a victory for search engines and fair use. It's not all great news however, as the court is still deciding whether Google can link to a website without permission.

Scientists cast doubt on Kennedy bullet analysis. A new look at old evidence debunks the single-shooter theory of the assassination. Please, please, no one tell Oliver Stone.

Deal May Legalize Millions of Immigrants. Much to the chagrin of the border-control crowd I suspect. If you're wondering whether it's a good plan, consider that people at both ends of the spectrum hate it. That's a victory for the silent majority.

More Government Spying

john — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:38:39 -0400

New FBI "emergency" procedures allow agents to request phone records verbally and no longer require that the agents follow-up with a grand jury subpoena.

In the past, agents were required to make such requests in writing and then follow-up with a grand jury subpoena. Very often, according to a report from the Justice Department's Inspector General, agents failed to do any such follow-up.

The report also documents many cases of FBI agents claiming "emergency" circumstances for such requests where no emergency existed. Instead of cracking down on agents, the FBI has decided to lift any semblance of due process by changing the rules to legitimize their illegal practices.

Justice Department Violent Crime Probe Coverage

john — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 08:54:43 -0400

For anyone who missed the story, there has been a spike in violent crime; and, the Justice Department, under Attorney General Gonzales, has vowed to investigate. Kind of a non-story really, but it has gotten its share of column inches in the papers, enough so that it provides some interesting fodder for contrasting the writing styles of the iconic liberal and conservative media for bias.

First, the criticism from the left:

Washington Post: Some police officials have blamed the rise in crime on federal budget cuts. The Bush administration has cut grants for state and local crime-fighting programs on the grounds that they have outlived their usefulness or have underperformed.

Big Tobacco Gets Off Easy

john — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 07:49:07 -0400

In 1999, the Clinton Administration began suing Big Tobacco on the grounds that they were deceiving the public in their packaging and what remained of their marketing efforts. In a recent ruling at the District Court level, they got a slap on the wrist as a result.

U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler did order the companies to publish in newspapers and on their Web sites "corrective statements" on the adverse health effects and addictiveness of smoking and nicotine.

She also ordered tobacco companies to stop labeling cigarettes as "low tar," "light," "ultra light" or "mild," since such cigarettes have been found to be no safer than others because of how people smoke them.

The judge stopped short, however, of granting the $10 Billion (down from $130 Billion) the Justice Department had sought as funding for a national smoking cessation campaign.

The press, typically, is billing this as a loss for the Tobacco companies. How this cannot be viewed as a win for them escapes me. These companies sell a product that kills people and cost taxpayers tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars every year; and, their penalty is to change their packaging to be less deceptive?