Tortured Law

Staff / Truthdig Oct 8, 2009 A new short film by the group Alliance for Justice examines the role that lawyers played in authorizing and legitimizing torture under the Bush administration. It calls on the attorney general to investigate not just CIA operatives but the authors of torture memos in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Judgment Days of Sotomayor

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2009 Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor avoided a "total meltdown" during her confirmation hearings, even as she underwent a grilling by the likes of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who trotted out a series of scathing anonymous evaluations of Sotomayor by unimpressed attorneys. Clearly, Sen. Graham hasn't Googled himself lately. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gonzales’ New Gig

Staff / Truthdig Jul 8, 2009 Seems like even those Bushies who didn't manage to make it to the end of the W. age with their political reputations intact are popping up with brand new jobs; take, for example, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who's slated to teach a political science course at Texas Tech University this fall. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Former South Korean President Commits Suicide

Staff / Truthdig May 23, 2009 Roh Moo-hyun, South Korea's ex-president, died Saturday after jumping off a cliff while hiking near his rural home in the country's southeast. Roh had been implicated in a corruption scandal and left a suicide note behind, according to The New York Times. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Yoo’s Views Make Philly News

Amy Goodman / Truthdig May 20, 2009 The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of that city's two major daily newspapers, is in the news itself these days after hiring controversial former Bush administration lawyer John Yoo as a monthly columnist. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bush Lawyers Likely in the Clear

Staff / Truthdig May 6, 2009 A Justice Department report suggests that the possibility of legal consequence for those who broke the law is steadily waning, as Bush administration lawyers who approved the torture-interrogation technique of waterboarding will likely escape prosecution. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hillary’s Replacement Is Smokin’

Staff / Truthdig Mar 27, 2009 Forgive that pun, but it is clear that Kirsten Gillibrand, junior senator from New York, played an important role in fending off the Justice Department as it sought internal research conducted by Philip Morris that proved a connection between cigarettes and cancer -- a causation rebuked by tobacco executives in testimony before Congress in 1994. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Madoff Wants Out of Jail … for Now

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2009 Citing such sketchy precedents as rulings in the cases of Enron's Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, Bernard Madoff's legal team filed an appeal at a New York federal court on Friday requesting that their client be released on bail until he is sentenced on June 16. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Police Pounce on Pakistani Protests

Staff / Truthdig Mar 13, 2009 Anti-government demonstrations in Pakistan were thwarted by police Thursday, as opposition leaders were arrested and protesters were stopped after the government claimed that such public gatherings could be sites for terrorist attacks. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Investigation Into Prosecutor Firings Is Dampened

Staff / Truthdig Oct 1, 2008 Continuing investigation of the 2006 firings of nine federal prosecutors has uncovered new leads that directly involve White House staff and lawyers in the scandal. The unsurprising kicker is that Bush administration officials refuse to talk further about their role in the firings, and key documents have been redacted to a level "virtually worthless as an investigative tool." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gitmo Lawyer Alleges Torture Evidence Destruction

Staff / Truthdig Jun 9, 2008 A military lawyer for a Guantanamo detainee says it was standard operating procedure to destroy evidence of torture (or harsh interrogation techniques, as some call it) in order to "minimize certain legal issues." Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler is concerned that, because of the policy, he will not be able to challenge the alleged confessions of his client, who was detained at the age of 15. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Angling for Edwards’ Loyal Lawyers

Staff / Truthdig Jan 28, 2008 Politics mixed with martinis and swizzle sticks as campaign aides from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's camps infiltrated a Puerto Rican resort in an effort to woo John Edwards' colleagues and supporters at an annual gathering of top American trial lawyers. Above, one of the weekend's political players, Clinton lieutenant Terry McAuliffe. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )