U.S. District Judge suspended the trial date for U.S. Rep. William Jefferson pending his appeal. Jefferson has filed a novel challenge over the use of privileged material in the grand jury that led to his indictment on corruption charges. Continue reading “Jefferson Trial Suspended Pending Appeal”
Category: Politics
Despite confirmation of waterboarding by the Administration and the existence of a torture program, Attorney Michael Mukasey continues to refuse to acknowledge that waterboarding is a crime and has blocked any criminal investigation that would implicate the President in the commission of a war crime. Now, Democrats are heralding an internal investigation that promises nothing beyond a low-grade ethics review with no likely action against individual lawyers. Continue reading “No Crime, Just Bad Counsel? Justice Department Conducts Internal Ethics Review on the Torture Memos”
Ok, I am the only one suggesting it. However, the video below should strongly support a ban on further impromptu presidential dancing. Continue reading “Video of Bush’s African Dance Triggers Call for Ban on Presidential Dancing Outside of Controlled Formal Balls”
An eleven-year-old boy may have just struck out pitching legend Roger Clemens. Photos have surfaced from a party given by Jose Canseco in 1998 — taken by one of the children. They purportedly show Clemens at the party, which Clemens vehemently denied in sworn testimony in hearings on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. Baseball legend Jose Canseco may also be at risk in this disclosure. Continue reading “Beware of 11-Year-Olds with Cameras: Pictures Reportedly Contradict Testimony of Roger Clemens”
GOP Rep. Rick Renzi (Ariz.) has been indicted on charges of fraud in questionable land deals as well as money laundering. The former member of the House Intelligence Committee faces a very stiff challenge given the specificity of this indictment. Continue reading “Arizona Rep. Rick Renzi Indicted for Fraud and Other Charges”
Karl Rove has been accused by Republican operative in Alabama of asking her to procure sexually compromising pictures of Alabama’s Democratic governor Don Siegelman. Jill Simpson’s allegations are particularly interesting because Siegelman was eventually convicted for bribery in a case that has drawn considerable criticism that it was politically motivated. However, the case against Siegelman was based on some very damaging testimony of a pay-to-play culture in his office. The new allegations are likely to increase calls for a renewed investigation. Continue reading “Karl Rove Accused of Trying to Solicit Sexually Compromising Pictures of Democrat”
Rep. William Jefferson filed an appeal on Wednesday to the Fourth Circuit to challenge 14 of 16 charges against him. The appeal could delay the prosecution for months. Continue reading “Rep. Jefferson Files Appeal to Challenge Counts in His Criminal Indictment”
More than three dozen current and former lacrosse players at Duke have sued the University for its actions during the infamous rape case. They have grounds for the lawsuit after the University discarded every principle of legal process and fairness to join the mob against its own students. Continue reading “Duke Lacrosse Players Sue Duke University Over Rape Case”
Sen. Ted Stevens (R, Alaska) has long been criticized by good government advocates for his practice of earmarking money to help family and friends — not to mention his notorious fight to give hundreds of millions of dollars to build “the bridge to nowhere.” While he has been under continual scrutiny and criticism for some of his shady dealings, it has not stopped his effort to direct money from public coffers to friends. In 2005, Stevens forced through an earmark of $1.6 million that allegedly guaranteed the purchase of property by his former aide, Trevor McCabe, an Anchorage fisheries lobbyist. Continue reading “Sen. Stevens is Accused AGAIN of Earmarking Money in a Sweetheart Deal for Friends”
Saudi Arabia’s legal system has long been a nightmare for civil libertarians and anyone on this side of the dark ages. However, in the face of the arrest and coerced confession of an American businesswoman for sitting next to man at Starbucks (who was not a relative), the religious police is defending its action in the case. It appears that it was the woman’s fault entirely for committing the offense to Islam — a helpful clarification from those who bring us weekly examples of why the separation of church and state is so essential for liberty. Continue reading “Lattes and Lashes: Saudi Religious Police Defend Their Arrest of American Woman Who Sat Next to a Man at a Starbucks”
Belarus has long been a dangerous place for both free speech and a free press. However, many gasped when a court sentenced journalist Aleksandr Sdvizhkov to three years hard labor for publishing the cartoons of Muhammad that led to worldwide protests. This follows an equally abusive decision of the government to shutdown his newspaper, Zgoda (Consensus), over the incident. Continue reading “Free Press: Journalist Sentenced to Three Years Hard Labor for Publishing Cartoons of Muhammad”
A Bush appointed federal bankruptcy judge was arrested for driving drunk and has resigned. A torrent of coverage followed the arrest after it was disclosed that Judge Robert Somma, 63, was dressed as a woman at the time of the accident. The case raises some questions over the treatment of judges who follow alternative lifestyles. Continue reading “Federal Judge Resigns After Arrest for DUI”
The current legislation to give the District of Columbia a vote in the House of Representatives has no shortage of passion behind it. Indeed, after testifying repeatedly that this legislation is unconstitutional, I have felt my share of that passion turned to anger. It has been an ironic position for me, because I strongly believe that District residents should be allowed to vote in Congress and I have many close friends on the other side of this debate. Indeed, I supported greater (and permanent) representation — as opposed to his partial representation plan. To that end, I have published a lengthy law review article below explaining why I believe that the law is flawed and why there are better option for the city. Continue reading “Too Clever By Half: The Constitutional Argument Against the Current Voting Bill for the District of Columbia”
Emails and text-messages have now brought down one of the most powerful prosecutors in the country and may soon lead to criminal charges against the Mayor of Detroit. Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal resigned this week after his emails were revealed in a police abuse case. In the meantime, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has appealed the release of his text messages in a case involving police whistleblowers. He has asked the Michigan Supreme Court to protect what remains of his privacy and political future. It is death by blackberry and plenty are politicians across the country are watching and wincing at the scandals. Continue reading “You’ve Got Mail — and a Subpoena — Emails and Text Messaging At the Center of Scandals in Michigan and Texas”
Steven G. Bradbury, the acting chief of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, offered one of the most detailed defenses of waterboarding by the Administration to date. In a bizarre twist, he insisted that the Administration was less like the Spanish Inquisition and more like the Khmer Rouge in its particularly version of the torture technique. Of course, his distinction would be lost on all but torture affectionados and, of course, Democrat and Republican members desperately trying to avoid a criminal investigation. Continue reading “Latest Defense of Bush Torture Program: Not As Bad as Spanish Inquisition; More Like Khmer Rouge”