Curt Anderson

September 14, 2004 | Law.com

The Justice Department's watchdog office is investigating whether the Patriot Act was used improperly to arrest an Oregon lawyer in connection with terror bombings in Spain based on faulty FBI fingerprint analysis. The case of Brandon Mayfield is among three new investigations into potential civil rights or civil liberties violations by the Justice Department against Muslims, Arabs or other groups considered vulnerable to backlash in the war on terror.

By Curt Anderson

4 minute read

November 19, 2002 | Law.com

The Justice Department has broad discretion in the use of wiretaps and other surveillance techniques to track suspected terrorists and spies, a federal appeals court panel ruled Monday. Overturning a May decision by the ultra-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a three-judge panel said the expanded wiretap guidelines sought by Attorney General John Ashcroft under the USA Patriot Act law do not violate the Constitution.

By Curt Anderson

4 minute read

September 16, 2004 | Law.com

German computer chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG has agreed to plead guilty to price fixing of widely used computer memory products and will pay a $160 million fine, the Justice Department said Wednesday. The victims included some of the world's largest computer companies -- Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Gateway. The fine is the third-largest imposed in a criminal case by the Justice Department's antitrust division.

By Curt Anderson

3 minute read

May 15, 2007 | Law.com

The trial of suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla opened in Miami on Monday with federal prosecutors arguing the U.S. citizen and two co-defendants provided money, recruits and military equipment for nearly a decade to Islamic extremists involved in violence worldwide. Anthony Natale, Padilla's attorney, said the case was the product of "the politics of fear" in the aftermath of Sept. 11. "Political crises can cause parts of our government to overreach. This is one of those times," he said.

By Curt Anderson

4 minute read

November 04, 2004 | Law.com

Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to leave his post before the start of President Bush's second term, senior aides said Thursday. Ashcroft, 62, is described as exhausted from leading the Justice Department in fighting the domestic war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

By Curt Anderson

2 minute read

November 05, 2004 | The Legal Intelligencer

Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to leave his post before the start of President Bush's second term, senior aides said yesterday.

By Curt Anderson

2 minute read

May 08, 2006 | Law.com

Cigar aficionados beware: Those handmade Montecristos or Cohibas may not be the premium smokes they seem. Law enforcement and cigar industry officials say counterfeiters are marketing millions of dollars in fake upscale cigars, some even pretending to be authentic Cubans that are illegal to sell in the United States. A recent crackdown has uncovered several major counterfeit operations, including one in Miami that resulted in the seizure of more than $20 million in fake stogies, labels and packaging.

By Curt Anderson

6 minute read

June 01, 2011 | Law.com

The relatives of at least 4,000 Colombians who were killed or vanished during conflicts between leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups have targeted Chiquita Brands International in U.S. lawsuits, claiming the produce giant's payments and other assistance to the groups amounted to supporting terrorists.

By Curt Anderson

7 minute read

February 19, 2010 | Law.com

Along with lifetime tenure and broad legal authority, federal judges decide for themselves whether they should step down from a case because of biases that might influence the outcome. A leading proposal in Congress would require that recusal motions be heard before a second judge, which is similar to what has been adopted by at least 21 states. Another idea, now used in at least 19 states, would give each side a "strike" mandating a judge step aside when there are questions about impartiality.

By Curt Anderson

6 minute read

November 02, 2010 | The Legal Intelligencer

Former major league baseball player Jim Leyritz had a blood-alcohol level more than twice Florida's legal limit when he ran a red light after a night of drinking and crashed into a woman's vehicle, killing her, a prosecutor said Monday as testimony began in Leyritz's DUI manslaughter trial.

By Curt Anderson

3 minute read