Vanessa Blum

March 02, 2004 | Law.com

Just days after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the military detention of Jose Padilla, the Bush administration outlined for the first time the steps it takes in designating U.S. citizens enemy combatants.

By Vanessa Blum

7 minute read

October 20, 2004 | The Recorder

There are a number of candidates who could be tapped to replace John Ashcroft as attorney general if President Bush wins re-election. But perhaps the most obvious choice, Deputy AG James Comey, almost certainly will not be. Since his confirmation as the No. 2 Justice Department official in December 2003, sources close to the department say Comey has had a strained relationship with some of the president's top advisers.

By Vanessa Blum

8 minute read

October 08, 2003 | Law.com

As the Justice Department probe into who disclosed the identity of a CIA officer proceeds, White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and his 10-lawyer staff will be tasked with answering investigators' demands for documents and interviews. The lawyers involved will have to make decisions about what to hand over and what to shield -- sticky issues for an administration that has been unyielding on assertions of executive privilege.

By Vanessa Blum

8 minute read

December 18, 2002 | Law.com

The Bush administration won a decisive victory with the dismissal of the General Accounting Office's suit seeking records related to the vice president's energy task force. But its fight to keep a tight hold over information is far from over. Watchdog groups continue attempts to penetrate the executive branch, and now more pressure will be put on these suits to get information from a reluctant administration.

By Vanessa Blum

6 minute read

March 22, 2004 | Law.com

Immunity, it seemed, was theirs for the taking.

By Vanessa Blum

5 minute read