China and the U.S. are worlds apart in many ways. But in an alternate universe of failed stars orbiting around a planet called bankruptcy court, they have come much closer. Such is the big bang effect of the country’s first national bankruptcy law, which took effect June 1. The new law gives China a version […]
President Bush overstepped his authority when he ordered the indefinite military detention of an Arab computer-science student from Qatar on suspicion that he was an Al Qaeda sleeper agent. In a stinging rebuke to the Bush administration’s tactics in the war on terror, a panel of the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday
US Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced Friday that an anticipated floor debate on a resolution expressing the Senate’s lack of confidence in beleaguered Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will take place Monday. The no-confidence resolution, which is non-binding, will require the support of 60 senators to limit debate and further amendments to come to a
Anti-death penalty forces have gained momentum in the past few years, with a moratorium in Illinois, court disputes over lethal injection in more than a half-dozen states and progress toward outright abolishment in New Jersey. The steady drumbeat of DNA exonerations — pointing out flaws in the justice system — has weighed against capital punishment.
Nearly a decade after the government began its landmark effort to break up Microsoft, the Bush administration has sharply changed course by repeatedly defending the company both in the United States and abroad against accusations of anticompetitive conduct, including the recent rejection of a complaint by Google. The retrenchment reflects a substantially different view of
President Bush is signing up legal help as he girds for battle with the Democratic-led Congress. Faced with a flurry of document requests and expanding congressional investigations, the White House announced Friday that Bush had hired nine lawyers, including five who’ll fill new jobs in the president’s legal office. The recruits have solid experience in
A dozen prominent legal scholars submitted an amicus curiae brief on behalf of former vice-presidential aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Thursday, arguing that Libby’s conviction could be overturned on appeal because the appointment of Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald raises serious constitutional issues involving the separation of powers. The legal scholars, including Harvard law professor Alan
The judge who sentenced Paris Hilton to jail and the city’s top prosecutor objected Thursday to her early release for an unspecified medical condition after only three days behind bars. “The judicial process may have been improperly circumvented in this case,” said City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. “This explanation is puzzling. Los Angeles County jail medical
The U.S. International Trade Commission ordered a ban on Thursday of some imported cell phone models containing Qualcomm Inc. chips that infringe on a Broadcom Corp. patent. The import ban covers new cell phone models that contain the infringing chips, but also exempts those imported for sale to the general public on or before the
Before joining the Bush Adminstration, Libby did stints at Dickstein Shapiro, the now-defunct Mudge Rose and Dechert; dozens of lawyers from those firms wrote letters on his behalf. A composite sketch would read: “It is incomprehensible to me that Scooter has been convicted of these crimes. He is honest, forthright, hardworking, ethical and a dedicated
