Docstoc feed for: Legal->Government->Justice Department

Obama Administration Plans to Pay ACORN After Congress Says No

lmhstrumpet — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:36:09 GMT

shared by: lmhstrumpet on: Friday, November 27, 2009

You have asked whether section 163 of Division B (“ContinuingAppropriations Resolution, 2010”) of Public Law 111-68, 123 Stat. 2023, 2053,approved by the President on October 1, 2009, prohibits the Department of Housingand Urban Development (“HUD”) from making a payment to the Association ofCommunity Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”) or its affiliates, subsidiaries,or allied organizations to satisfy an existing contractual obligation that arose prior tothe enactment of that measure. We conclude, in agreement with the views wesolicited and received, that the language of section 163 is not clear with respect towhether its prohibition applies in cases where pre-existing law apart from section 163,including the contract itself, compels such a payment and where, accordingly, failureto make such a payment would subject the federal Government to contractualliability. In accord with established interpretive principles for resolving such lack ofclarity, we conclude that section 163 does not direct or authorize HUD to refusepayment on binding contractual obligations that predate the ContinuingAppropriations Resolution.

Allegations of Selective Prosecution in Our Federal Criminal Justice System

lmhstrumpet — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:01:44 GMT

shared by: lmhstrumpet on: Sunday, October 25, 2009

Since July 2007, the Committee on the Judiciary and its staff have been investigatingallegations that political considerations may have improperly influenced federal criminalprosecutions in a number of cases around the country. For the reasons described below, furtheraction along the following lines is recommended:C Justice Department internal oversight offices should conduct a thoroughinvestigation and report on these troubling allegations of selective, politicallymotivatedfederal prosecutions.C The Committee’s investigation should continue and further efforts should bemade to obtain relevant documents about the cases described in this report.C As part of that investigation, efforts should be made to obtain testimony from KarlRove.This report from Committee majority staff describes the progress of the investigation onallegations of selective and politically-motivated prosecution and summarizes troubling evidenceregarding several federal criminal cases, in particular the prosecution of former Governor ofAlabama Don Siegelman. Because the Department of Justice has largely refused to cooperatewith the Committee’s investigation, key facts remain unknown and reliable final judgmentscannot be made. However, given the troublesome facts identified to date, it is clear at aminimum that current and former Department leadership has been derelict in failing to reviewthese matters and reassure the American people that federal law enforcement is impartial andfair. In particular:• 44 former state Attorneys General of both parties, former federal prosecutors, andRepublican former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh have all expressedconcern about what Attorney General Thornburgh has referred to as “apparentpolitical prosecution[s].”1 Attorney General Thornburgh testified to theCommittee that as a result of these problems, Americans “may no longer” have“confidence that the Department of Justice is conducting itself in a fair andimpartial manner without act

FDOC IG Report 9/07

gndlf1 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:49:04 GMT

shared by: gndlf1 on: Thursday, September 24, 2009

PIECP and PRIDE Enterprises documents.

BJA Letter of Compliance

gndlf1 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:47:44 GMT

shared by: gndlf1 on: Thursday, September 24, 2009

PIECP and PRIDE Enterprises documents.

PIECP Final Guidelines

gndlf1 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:38:14 GMT

shared by: gndlf1 on: Thursday, September 24, 2009

This is the entire 1999 PIECP Final Guidelines that control the Prison Industries Enhanced Certification Program. It contains all definitions, discussions raised by program participants and responses to hose issues discussed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Included are the mandatory requirements to participate in the program.

Independent Report on Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program

gndlf1 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:26:22 GMT

shared by: gndlf1 on: Thursday, September 24, 2009

2009 Independent review of the federal Prison Industries Enhanced Certification Program (PIECP) and violations of that program by Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises (PRIDE).

Swedish National Charged with Hacking and Theft of Trade Secrets Related to Alleged Computer Intrusions at Nasa and Cisco

lmhstrumpet — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:08:37 GMT

shared by: lmhstrumpet on: Friday, July 31, 2009