By The Los Angeles Times Editorial Page There was an uproar when it was revealed that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called Christmas Day bomber, was read his Miranda rights. The hysterical reaction obscured a real dilemma for law enforcement: how to obtain what could be vital information about terrorist plots without denying suspects their legal…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The lawyers over at the Justice Department are trying to figure out whether they should ask the Supreme Court to consider a case with far reaching implications involving the use of a GPS to track a criminal, the Blog of Legal Times reports. The case centers around former D.C. night club…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to examine an interesting issue regarding the aggressive 9/11 practices of the Bush Administration: Can a U.S. citizen who claims he was illegally detained sue former attorney general John D. Ashcroft? The Washington Post reports that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled…
The ruling by the Supreme Court could spell trouble for some federal cases. It will also change the way federal prosecutors charge certain defendants, though some had started to look at different ways in anticipation of the ruling. By Robert Barnes Washington Post WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court Thursday restricted one of federal prosecutors’ favorite…
By Allan Lengel ticklethe wire.com Let the games begin. With the smiling nominee flanked to his left, and his vice president to his right, President Obama on Monday morning announced the nomination of Solicitor General Elana Kagan for the Supreme Court. Heaping superlatives upon superlatives, he called her a “superb” Solicitor General and said she…
Taking over an agency that is still a work in progress isn’t easy. But apparently she’s getting high marks within the Administration. Her name also pops up as a candidate for the Supreme Court or for Attorney General should Eric Holder ever leave. By Anne E. Kornblut The Washington Post BARCELONA — Janet Napolitano stood…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — Janet Napolitano, who has served as Secretary of Homeland Security since January 2009, is reported to be among the top candidates to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Napolitano has a pretty deep resume. She served as Governor of Arizona, Attorney General of the state and as…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON –– Three of the leading candidates reportedly being considered to replace the retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens all have had or do have ties to the Justice Department and two are Jewish, according to media reports. Elena Kagan, 49, the U.S. Solicitor General, the fourth highest ranking post…
