Justice Department

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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...

Feds Slap AmEx With Antitrust Suit

Just as Justice settles case against MasterCard, Visa

(Newser) - The Justice Department has hit American Express with antitrust charges today, just as it settles similar charges with Visa and MasterCard, reports the Wall Street Journal. The complaint centers around the uneven fees and rules AmEx imposes to "impede merchants from promoting or encouraging the use of a competing...

Bush-Era FBI Put Liberal Activists on Terror List
Bush-Era FBI Put Liberal Activists on Terror List
JUSTICE DEPT. REPORT

Bush-Era FBI Put Liberal Activists on Terror List

PETA, Greenpeace, others unfairly targeted

(Newser) - The FBI investigated and monitored a variety of liberal activist groups without proper cause during the Bush Administration, the Justice Department concluded today. Though the Inspector General cleared the FBI of the most serious allegation against it—that it targeted the groups based on how they exercised their First Amendment...

Justice Department Sues Arizona's Sheriff Joe

He won't cooperate with civil rights investigation

(Newser) - The feds have escalated their fight with Arizona's tough-talking Sheriff Joe. The Justice Department filed what it calls an "unprecedented" suit today against Maricopa County's Joe Arpaio because it says he won't cooperate with a civil rights investigation, refusing for more than a year to turn over records, reports...

Feds End Tom DeLay Probe
 Feds Clear Tom DeLay 

Feds Clear Tom DeLay

Six-year investigation quietly closes without charges

(Newser) - Tom DeLay is probably doing a little dance right now. The Justice Department has informed DeLay that it has ended its six-year investigation into his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and won’t be filing any charges. “This was one of the longest and expensive and thorough investigations...

US Charges 14 With Trying to Join Somali Terrorists

US citizens linked to al-Shebab

(Newser) - The Department of Justice has charged 14 US citizens with attempting to join al-Qaeda-linked terror group al-Shebab, sources tell NBC. Those charged include 12 from Minnesota, an Alabaman, and a Californian. Al-Shebab is the Somalia-based terror organization that recently claimed responsibility for two Ugandan blasts during the World Cup.

Judge's Ruling Killed State Immigration Reform
Judge's Ruling Killed State Immigration Reform
Analysis

Judge's Ruling Killed State Immigration Reform

Signals efforts will have to come at federal level

(Newser) - Judge Susan Bolton’s decision to fence off much of Arizona’s immigration law could also put a stop to hundreds of similar attempts to combat illegal immigration in other states. Though Bolton hasn’t finished hearing the case yet, stopping the law sent a pretty clear message that she...

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