The Daily MuckA case once heralded by the Bush admistration as a blow against terrorism, was overturned yesterday when a federal panel ruled that the two men convicted of conspiracy to support Al Qaeda had been denied the right to a fair trial. The judge said that some of the evidence introduced by prosecutors, such as testimony about bombings unrelated to the two defendants, had unfairly influenced the jury. A new judge will hear the retrial. (New York Times)
The Bush administration must share White House logs that could shed light on visits by Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist convicted on corruption charges in September. The Secret Service had asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that knowing what prompts background checks could promote criminal activity. A federal judge ruled this week that the records must be released within 20 days. (AP)
A watchdog group filed a complaint with the IRS yesterday against seven churches whose pastors had used the pulpit to promote particular presidential candidates. The move gets the ball rolling on a case meant to examine the separation of church and state. Last Sunday’s endorsements were a deliberate attempt by the pastors to challenge a 1954 rule that forbids tax-exempt non-profit groups from campaigning. (LA Times)
In a petition filed Wednesday, Vice President Dick Cheney asked the D.C. Circuit Appeals court to step in and vacate discovery orders made by the district court judge hearing a case brought by watchdog groups to pre-empt Cheney from destroying White House records. In September, the judge had sided with the group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and issued a preliminary injunction against Cheney. The organization says the documents will be important for determining the historical record. (Press Release)
City employees were roped into planning their former boss’s retirement party, a $1,000-a-head dinner the proceeds of which went to charity, show e-mails obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Invitations went out to business leaders connected to the L.A. pension agency from Robert Aguallo Jr., the department’s former head, a move that some say could push ethics standards. Aguallo is already under investigation by the city’s Ethics Commission over his move to Cardinal Americas, which does business with the pension agency. (LA Times)
A federal grand jury indicted a 2006 California congressional candidate Wednesday on charges of obstruction of justice. The candidate, Republican Tan Nguyen, was the subject of an investigation about voter suppression due to a campaign flyer. The letter, mailed to 14,000 Hispanics, claimed that immigrants and illegals could be deported for voting. (AP)