Dismissal of United States Attorneys controversy
Congress, Attorney General in stare-down over contempt, executive privilege
The Fast and Furious operation, led by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Arizona, has been a political controversy for months. But things got much more heated Wednesday when President Barack Obama asserted executive privilege for not handing the documents over, while Congress moved to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt.
Do The Positions of Obama’s FBI Nominee Deserve More Scrutiny?
The legality of waterboarding, the role of state-sponsored surveillance and the importance of whistle-blowers–those were just a few of the major questions thrown at James Comey before a Senate Judiciary Committee. Comey is President Obama’s pick to lead the FBI. From 2003 to 2005, Comey served as deputy attorney general under President Bush, and while […]
Obama to Nominate James Comey to Lead F.B.I.
There seems to be little doubt that President Obama will nominate former Justice Department official James Comey to lead the F.B.I. There has been no official announcement from the White House about Comey’s nomination, but NPR broke the news after talking with sources who apparently have knowledge of the search to replace the current director, […]
Arlen Specter Dies at 82
Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He had lost his senate seat in 2010 and for years bemoaned the shift in the Republican Party that made it difficult for moderates like himself. He switched parties in 2010 but it couldn’t keep him in Washington. Todd Zwillich is The Takeaway’s Washington […]
Justice Department Blocks Texas Voter Identification Law
On Monday, the Justice Department blocked a new Texas voter identification law on the basis that the law would disproportionately affect Hispanics and that it violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The law would have required all Texas voters to show some form of photo ID before voting. This past December, the Justice Department blocked […]
Holder: US DOJ to Review State Voter ID Laws
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was in Austin, Texas Tuesday night where he promised the Justice Department’s civil rights division will aggressively review new voter ID laws that civil rights advocates say will have a discriminatory impact. This puts the Justice Department smack in the middle of a growing partisan debate over civil rights and […]