Department of Justice (DOJ) News
Coverage of DOJ investigations, leadership, and political influence. Includes conservative commentary and opinion from The Daily Signal.
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- News
Lawmakers Urge IRS, Justice Department to Return $29K Seized from Dairy Farmers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee is urging the Justice Department, Treasury Department, and Internal Revenue Service to return money “inappropriately” seized by the IRS under civil asset forfeiture. Led by Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Ranking Member John Lewis, D-Ga., the group of 14 lawmakers also…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
Noncitizen Voting Case Pits Justice Department Against States That Require Proof of Citizenship
The free-for-all boxing match among the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Kansas, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resumed on Wednesday, March 9. They’re tussling over the right of states to require proof of citizenship from people using the federal voter registration form. Federal Voter Registration In Courtroom…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Court Ruling Undermines Justice Department’s Use of Fines as Slush Funds
Should individuals be allowed to turn criminal fines into donations for their favorite charities? U.S. District Judge Janet Arterton recently faced this question and correctly said no. But scholars have raised the question before in response to prosecutors’ use of settlement funds reached in criminal prosecutions of major companies—some totaling billions of dollars—as checks to…John-Michael Seibler -
- News
Justice Department Halts Program Allowing Law Enforcement to Split Proceeds of Seized Cash, Property
The Justice Department is halting a controversial program that allows law enforcement to keep most of the proceeds of cash and property they seize from Americans under federal law, sometimes without charging anyone with a crime. Now the law enforcement community, which benefits from the program, is pushing back against the Justice Department, saying its decision…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
How Will the DOJ Respond if Volkswagen Knowingly Deceived the EPA?
The Environmental Protection Agency recently sent a Notice of Violation to Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., alleging that “VW manufactured and installed [software] in certain model year 2009 through 2015 diesel light-duty vehicles equipped with 2.0 liter engines.” The software “senses whether the vehicle is being tested or not based on various inputs including the…John-Michael Seibler -
- Opinion
Justice Department Should Enforce Rules Mandating Voter Rolls Updates
Why isn’t the Justice Department enforcing the law and requiring state local election officials to keep voter rolls updated and current? Last week, the Public Interest Legal Foundation launched a project to clean up America’s voter rolls. Their lawsuit is based on a decades-old statute that requires states and counties to make reasonable efforts to…Joseph A. Vanderhulst -
- Opinion
The Clinton Emails: Will DOJ Conduct a Real Investigation?
The debate over the revelation of the referral to the Justice Department of Hillary Clinton’s email activities as Secretary of State missed several important points, particularly the preferential treatment she has been given so far. Any other federal employee found to have discussed high-level, sensitive government business in her personal emails, including possibly classified materials,…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Justice Department: No Proof Gun Dealers, Pawn Shops Purposely Targeted in Operation Choke Point
An internal review of the Justice Department’s controversial initiative known as Operation Choke Point found no evidence that agency attorneys intentionally used the program to target legal and legitimate businesses such as pawn shops, gun dealers and payday lenders. “Based on the results of this inquiry, [the Office of Professional Responsibility] concluded that Department of…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
New Documents Implicate Justice Department in IRS Conservative-Targeting Scandal
Obama’s Department of Justice may have been involved in the IRS scheme to target conservative non-profit organizations, according to newly-released documents obtained by Judicial Watch under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents reveal that Lois Lerner met with attorneys from the Public Integrity Section (including its chief) of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Senator Again Calls for Ending Justice Department’s Operation Choke Point
Comparing Operation Choke Point to Tom Cruise’s “Minority Report,” a film where police use “psychic technology” to arrest alleged murderers before they actually commit a crime, Sen. Mike Crapo today made another attempt to end the Justice Department’s controversial program. “To explain [Operation Choke Point], I want to remind everybody of a movie that came…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
The Justice Department Is Giving Away Your Money (Without Your Permission)
For the past decade, the U.S. Justice Department has engaged in the dubious practice of giving away the public’s money when it settles a case, by sometimes conditioning a settlement on a company’s agreement to donate money to a third-party of the government’s (or the defendant’s) choosing. For example, the Justice Department settled cases last…Paul J. Larkin -
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Justice Department Takes Credit for Second Operation Choke Point Settlement
The Daily Signal has reported multiple cases where innocent small business owners believe they were unfairly targeted by the Justice Department’s controversial initiative known as Operation Choke Point. Now, the agency it touting a case it says it got right. On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced it reached a $4.9 million settlement with CommerceWest Bank…Kelsey Bolar -
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Small Business Owner Questions Why Justice Department Would Threaten His Livelihood
A third-generation veteran says the government is choking him from his livelihood, blocking his access to bank accounts and forcing him to pay exorbitant fees for basic financial services. “I’m an American, and when the government does something like this to its own citizens, it has to be stopped,” said Andy Kramer, owner of Discount…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
If a Republican Justice Department Did This, It Would Be Attacked as Borderline Racist
Attorney General Eric Holder has waged a litigation war against voter-ID laws as well as state efforts to reduce early-voting periods and eliminate same-day voter registration. These practical reforms, he huffs, are intended to suppress the votes of minorities. But the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and a number of civil-rights groups against…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Republican Lawmakers Demand Answers From Justice Department on Operation Choke Point
Thirty members of Congress demanded today that the Department of Justice launch an “immediate investigation” into the agency’s own Operation Choke Point and those involved in creating and implementing the initiative against enterprises that are out of favor with the Obama administration. Led by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., the 30 lawmakers sent a letter to…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
How Long Will It Take to Repair Damage Holder Has Done at Justice Department?
Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement Thursday that he is resigning, effective when his successor is confirmed, is welcome news. As John Fund and I outline in our recent book, “Obama’s Enforcer: Eric Holder’s Justice Department,” every time President Obama has broken, bent, ignored or changed the law, the person at his side advising him how…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
The Latest Clue That the Justice Department Investigation of IRS Scandal Is a Sham
Evidence has been accumulating for some time the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the IRS scandal isn’t a real investigation. But the latest indication it may be a sham came to light through an embarrassing but highly revealing error made by a senior communications aide to Attorney General Eric Holder. It occurred when that aide…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
How Eric Holder Has Destroyed the Justice Department’s Reputation
I don’t know who the next U.S. attorney general will be, but I know I pity that person. Restoring the Justice Department’s reputation in the wake of Eric H. Holder Jr.’s tenure will take a lot of work. You can find out just how big a task it will be in “Obama’s Enforcer: Eric Holder’s…Ed Feulner -
- Opinion
Lost Lerner Emails More Evidence Justice Department Not Taking IRS Investigation Seriously
As usual, the Obama administration used its “release-bad-news-late-on-Friday” routine for its latest jaw dropper: a claim by the IRS that it has lost external emails to and from Lois Lerner during the critical period of January 2009 to April 2011. For this period of time, according to a June 13 letter from Treasury to Rep….Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Justice Department’s Latest Action Violates Federal Immigration Law
Attorney General Eric Holder announced on June 6 the Justice Department will use taxpayer funds to “enroll approximately 100 lawyers and paralegals as AmeriCorps members to provide legal services” to “young people who must appear in immigration proceedings.” This will be accomplished through Justice Department grants to the Corporation for National and Community Service, a…Hans von Spakovsky