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Chris Black | February 27, 2009, 10:03AM

The Justice Department is preparing to bring charges against a man identified as an al Qaida operative who is currently being held on American soil. Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, whom the Bush administration had intended to hold indefinitely without charges, will be tried in a civilian court, officials said yesterday. The Justice Department had faced a March 23 deadline to explain to the Supreme Court whether or not it would uphold the Bush administration's policy. The decision to try al-Marri in a civilian court allows the new administration more time to review detention policies. (New York Times)

Lawsuits filed against large financial companies, including Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, contend that female employees are bearing the brunt of recent downsizing. Plaintiffs note that female employees made up 64 percent of Wall Street employees before the crash, and yet 72 percent of the last 260,000 jobs cut were held by women. The firms dispute the allegations, saying it is hard to show that there is no evidence gender is playing a role in firing decisions. (Forbes)

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against drug maker Forest Laboratories for defrauding the government of millions of dollars by marketing two antidepressants for use in children and young adults. The complaint says that Forest Laboratories concealed a study that showed the drugs were not effective in children and could cause patients to become suicidal. The lawsuit also charges that the company gave kickbacks -- in the form of baseball tickets, gift certificates to expensive restaurants, and paid vacations -- to doctors who prescribed its drugs. (New York Times)

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Chris Black | February 26, 2009, 10:12AM

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday that it began an investigation of its New Orleans office last week, relating to equal employment opportunity complaints. The news came after Rep. Anh Cao (R-LA) raised questions about cronyism and other misconduct at the office. (Associated Press)

For the second time since the Inauguration, the Obama administration finds itself defending Bush's use of state secrets claims. The Justice Department is seeking to delay hearings in a lawsuit involving warrantless wiretaps of a now-defunct Saudi Islamic charity operating in Oregon. The Bush administration had previously warned that the judge in the trial would not be able to protect against the release of sensitive information if the trial were allowed to proceed. The case is the first and only to challenge warrantless wiretapping. (Associated Press)

A report published by the Department of Energy's Inspector General Monday found that 15 government facilities licensed to hold nuclear materials did not have as much in their inventories as had been originally recorded. The report points to accounting errors, and lax record-keeping regarding nuclear material loaned to other institutions such as universities and commercial research facilities. Among the materials listed as missing were enriched uranium and plutonium. The report was a follow-up on a 2001 probe that found similar problems with record keeping. (NTI.org)

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Chris Black | February 25, 2009, 10:06AM

Alaska governor Sarah Palin's financial woes continue, as a special investigator hired by the Alaska Personnel Board looking into trips taken by the first family insists that Palin reimburse the state for nine trips taken by her children. Palin was accompanied by her daughter Bristol on one trip to New York to attend Newsweek's annual Women and Leadership conference. According to the special investigator, the state of Alaska will only pay for family travel if family members serve an important state interest on the trip. Palin has 120 days to pay up. (Associated Press)

A group of wealthy Americans is suing Swiss bank UBS in federal court to keep their identities secret. The suit alleges that UBS' actions in cooperating with U.S. investigators violate Swiss bank secrecy laws and amount to illegal activities involving foreign authorities. UBS, the world's largest private bank, had been charged by US authorities with conspiring to help wealthy clients avoid their taxes. As part of a settlement, the bank agreed to release the names of 19,000 clients. (New York Times)

Jackson, Mississippi mayor Frank Melton may face another trial after a judge declared a mistrial yesterday on charges that Melton lead a vigilante-style raid on a crackhouse that included the use of a sledgehammer to break down the building's front door. The mistrial was declared after jurors failed to reach a verdict after five days of deliberation. Melton had been criticized previously for his Wild West-style of governing, which included participating in police checkpoints and passing out cowboy hats to city council members. (Associated Press)

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Chris Black | February 24, 2009, 9:54AM

A federal judge facing sexual abuse charges struck a plea deal Monday allowing him to get off on much lighter terms. By pleading guilty to obstruction of justice and retiring from the federal bench, Judge Samuel Kent will not have to face a trial for five other charges relating to sexually inappropriate behavior with employees, although the plea deal did require the judge to admit that his advances were neither invited nor enjoyed. The obstruction of justice charge carries a 20 year maximum sentence. Kent would have been the first district judge to be tried on federal sexual harassment charges. (New York Times)

A few former associates of President Obama have raised eyebrows with their recent moves to lobbying firms. Matthew Nugen, the political director for Obama's campaign, will take a job with Ogilvy Government Relations as a strategic adviser; Jeff Berman, the director of Obama's national delegate operation, will join D.C. lobbying firm Bryan Cave; and Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for HHS Secretary has returned to lobbying powerhouse Alston & Bird. Obama has announced rules banning lobbyists from serving in his administration -- though these have been waived in several cases. (Politico)

A report published by the Pentagon yesterday urges U.S. authorities to speed the transfer of 17 Uighur detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility. Admiral Patrick Walsh, who oversaw the review, said that other detainees are aware that the Uighurs are to be freed, and that it "breeds a climate... of friction." The U.S. has been trying for years to transfer the men to a third country; if this fails they may be settled in the United States. (Agence France Presse)

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Chris Black | February 23, 2009, 10:02AM

Mortgage giant Freddie Mac has begun an investigation into its own lobbying activities. The firm spent $2 million dollars to fight regulations that would have required Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to sell hundreds of billions of dollars worth of mortgage-backed securities held in their portfolios. The same securities plunged in value when the housing market tanked. High-priced lawyers from Covington & Burling will lead the probe. (Associated Press)

Attorney General Eric Holder embarked today on a trip to review the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The trip comes in the wake of Obama's announcement that he intends to close the facility within a year. News reporters were not allowed to accompany Holder on his flight to Cuba, and it is unclear if any part of the visit will be open to press coverage. (Associated Press)

A Pentagon review of Guantanamo Bay has concluded that treatment of detainees at the facility meets the standards set by the Geneva Conventions. The review came as part of the process of closing the facility, something mandated by President Obama. The report is likely to irk defense lawyers, who for years have insisted that treatment at the camps has lead to mental health problems for some detainees. (Washington Post)

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