Justice Dept. to Stop Pushing Defendants in Guilty Pleas to Waive Right to DNA Testing

By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — A Justice Department policy during the Bush-era is about to get the boot. The Washington Post reports that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. will issue a memo Thursday to U.S. Attorneys around the country saying that he’s overturning a policy which urged prosecutors to push defendants hammering out…

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House Passes Bill Reducing Sentencing Disparity With Crack Cocaine

By Glynnesha Taylor ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday passed legislation drastically reducing the sentencing disparity between crack and powdered cocaine — a longtime disparity critics saw as unfairly targeting African Americans. Previously, under the 1986 law, a person selling crack got the same sentence as someone selling 100 times the amount of powdered…

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D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office #2 Prosecutor Channing Phillips Off to the Justice Dept. to Help With Diversity Management

By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Channing Phillips, the number two person in the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, is heading off to the Justice Department several blocks away to become Deputy Associate Attorney General for Diversity Management. A Justice Department memo announcing the move said Phillips will be responsible for the implementation  of Attorney General…

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