The Daily MuckA judge has combined two suits which question the Alaska State legislature’s“Troopergate” investigation. The new suit compiles that of five Republican lawmakers, who claim the independent investigation oversteps the Legislature’s jurisdiction with a similar filing by the Attorney General. Vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is charged with abuse of powers in her firing of Walt Monegan, a former public safety commissioner who is said to have resisted pressure to lay off a state trooper, formerly married to Palin’s sister. The first hearing is scheduled for Thursday. (Anchorage Daily News)
ProPublica publishes the affadavit of Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld, the military prosecutor who resigned from his post in Guantanamo last week. In the document, Vandeveld, the fourth prosecutor to resign from Guantanamo, presents evidence that would support the defense’s claim that their client was a child soldier. The trial concerns a teenager charged with throwing a grenade that injured two Americans and their translator. (ProPublica)
The judge trying Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) for corruption scolded the prosecution yesterday, threatening sanctions after the government sent home a key witness. Stevens, who is charged with concealing $250,000 in gifts, had asked the judge to declare a mistrial over the weekend. (New York Times)
The Democratic challenger in the Alaska Senate race against indicted incumbent Ted Stevens, will pay a $1,420 fine over a complaint on his state financial disclosure forms. The Alaska Public Offices Commission imposed the fine stating that Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich had failed properly fill out his disclosure report. Begich is currently heavily favored in the polls to win the senate seat from Stevens who is currently on trial on federal corruption charges. (Anchorage Daily News)
The Ohio Supreme Court ended a voting rights dispute yesterday, ruling that pre-registration was not necessary to vote by absentee ballot. The decision upheld a 2005 law which permits all state residents to mail in their vote, meaning that same-day voting could occur for a one-week period this year. Republicans had sought to overturn the measure, while Democrats charged that they were trying to depress voter turnout by generating confusion about the rules. (AP)
More than 90 percent of nursing homes violate federal safety and health regulations investigators charged Monday, saying that the principal abuse was neglect and abuse of patients. The nation’s nursing homes, which house more than 1.5 million people, must meet the standards to receive Medicaid and Medicare funding. (New York Times)