Free Republic

WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has hired fewer law clerks than usual, generating speculation that the leader of the court's liberals will retire next year. If Stevens does step down, he would give President Barack Obama his second high court opening in two years. Obama chose Justice Sonia Sotomayor for the court when Justice David Souter announced his retirement in May. Souter's failure to hire clerks was the first signal that he was contemplating leaving the court. Stevens, 89, joined the court in 1975 and is the second-oldest justice in the court's history, after Oliver Wendell Holmes....

With the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor comes yet another democrat sleight of hand--ignoring one reality and twisting another. Obama calls for a Supreme Court justice who "understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book, it is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people's lives, whether they can make a living, and care for their families, whether they feel safe in their homes, and welcome in their own nation. I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving...

A federal jury on Friday acquitted W.R. Grace & Co. and three of its former officials of charges that they knowingly exposed residents of Libby, Mont., to asbestos poisoning associated with a mining operation and conspired to hide it. The verdict brings to an ignominious end one of the most significant criminal prosecutions the government had ever filed against a corporate polluter. The acquittals raise new questions about prosecutorial failings in the Justice Department, which already was reeling from the dismissal of its corruption case against former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).In Libby, where an estimated 1,200 residents have died or...

A gala dinner at the Golden Anchor at the Coast Guard Base celebrated 50 years of Alaska statehood and fishing,Thursday night. The dinner, titled “Look How Far We’ve Come,” featured appearances by Gov. Sarah Palin, Todd Palin and former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who received lifetime membership and an achievement award from the United Fishermen of Alaska.

WASHINGTON — Former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska turned down a plea offer from federal prosecutors that would have spared him a trial and jail time but required him to plead guilty to a single felony count, according to newly disclosed records. Lawyers for Mr. Stevens rejected the proposal on his behalf, according to transcripts of discussions between the trial judge and lawyers for both sides, which were recently ordered unsealed by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan.

Brief biographical sketches of six federal prosecutors under investigation for mishandling the trial of former Sen. Ted Stevens. BRENDA MORRIS: A longtime prosecutor with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, Morris now serves as its principal deputy. She helped supervise the investigation into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and has prosecuted corruption cases around the country. She teaches corruption investigations within the Justice Department and is a professor at Georgetown Law School. A graduate of Howard University law school, she served as the lead attorney in the Stevens trial, giving the government's opening statement and cross-examining Stevens. NICHOLAS MARSH: One of...

As he ordered a highly unusual criminal probe of the federal lawyers who prosecuted former Sen. Ted Stevens, a federal judge delivered a blistering rebuke Tuesday of the Justice Department's actions in the case--and asserted that the department's failures extend beyond its failure to give the long-time Alaska politician a fair trial. In dismissing the public corruption case against Stevens, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court in Washington railed against a government agency that he said had committed unprecedented missteps in a feverish quest to secure the Republican senator's conviction. "In nearly 25 years on the bench, I...

Attorney General Eric Holder has warned his U.S. attorneys that misconduct in the Department of Justice will not tolerated, but he's also trying to nip in the bud any reluctance in his staff to tackle public corruption.Good government activists are warning that the dropping of all charges against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and the tossing of his seven felony convictions could give U.S. prosecutors cold feet in going after other politicians who are suspected of crimes. Already the lawyer for former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who was convicted of bribery and mail fraud, has urged Attorney General Eric Holder...

In television's long-running "Law and Order" series, the prosecutors are portrayed as righteous, dedicated searchers for the truth who seldom, if ever, fail to find it. And the defense attorneys are depicted as a necessary evil, capable of underhanded, devious action to free their clients whom everyone knows are guilty. Other entries in the legal free-for-alls that have been a TV staple have taken the opposite tack, giving the edge to those representing the downtrodden accused. Reality, of course, lies somewhere in between with the justice scales tipping one way or another on an individual basis. But it is safe...

The dismissal of Ted Stevens' conviction and the potential contempt charges against the lawyers who prosecuted him could hinder several ongoing corruption cases against other politicians, according to legal experts. While the allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in the Stevens trial are limited to his case alone, the damage to the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section may make judges more willing to listen to defense attorneys who challenge evidence. Jurors may also be more willing to listen to claims of innocence by politicians under scrutiny, experts say. Some Department of Justice watchers predict there will be staff changes in the...

Corruption Charges Dismissed Against Former Senator WASHINGTON -- A federal judge set aside the conviction of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and appointed a special prosecutor to investigate possible criminal-contempt charges against federal prosecutors who the judge said repeatedly withheld evidence from defense attorneys. U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said, "In 25 years on the bench I have never seen anything approach the mishandling and misconduct I have seen in this case."

WASHINGTON — A furious federal judge on Tuesday took the extraordinary step of ordering that the prosecutors who bungled the case of former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska be investigated for possible criminal wrongdoing... --snip-- One F.B.I. agent, Chad Joy, has said in an affidavit that he sat in on meetings in which Stevens prosecutors were clearly aware that they were ignoring their professional obligations to turn over materials that the defense could use to counter the charges. Agent Joy, who still works for the bureau, took the unusual step of asking the government for official protection as a whistle-blower....

WASHINGTON – A judge has dismissed charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens because of prosecutorial misconduct and has ordered a criminal contempt investigation of the prosecutors. "In nearly 25 years on the bench, I've never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct that I've seen in this case," U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said in the opening moments of a hearing.

<p>A federal judge says in 25 years on the bench he's never seen anything as bad as the government's mishandling of the Ted Stevens corruption trial.</p> <p>U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan is expected to dismiss charges against the former Alaska senator on Tuesday. At a court hearing, Sullivan opened with a stinging summary of the many times the government withheld evidence or mishandled witnesses in the case.</p>

Greg Pollowitz points me to this report from the Anchorage Daily News, that the judge in the failed corruption prosecution of former Sen. Ted Stevens is still fuming at the Justice Department. The paper reports that Judge Emmet Sullivan, "on his own, without a request by either party" issued a pair of orders over the weekend, "indicating he may not be ready to give up jurisdiction of the case even as the government is asking for all charges to be dismissed." The report elaborates that the judge directed federal prosecutors to provide him copies of everything they had gathered in...

On Alaska Public Radio, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) says that he'd like to see former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) challenge Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said Wednesday his friend and former colleague Ted Stevens was "screwed" by the United States Justice Department, hours after Attorney General Eric Holder announced he was dropping all charges against the former Alaska senator. "Here's a guy who gave better than 60 years service to the country and was screwed," Hatch told reporters on Capitol Hill. "Screwed by our own Justice Department." Hatch went on to praise Holder for dropping the charges and "fixing this foul situation."

Last fall, the senior Senator from Alaska was the poster octogenarian for political corruption. As of yesterday, Ted Stevens is merely another casualty of abusive prosecutors out to make a name for themselves. The Justice Department yesterday moved to set aside an October conviction on ethics charges and forgo any future trials for Senator Stevens. He walks free, in other words, an innocent man. In the motion, Justice said it "recently discovered" that prosecutors withheld from the defense notes about an interview last April with the state's star witness, Bill Allen, that contradicted his subsequent testimony. Under the Brady Rule...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-70 Governor Comments on Dismissal of Charges Against Stevens April 1, 2009, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today released the following statement in response to the dismissal of the indictment against former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens: “Senator Stevens deserves to be very happy today. What a horrible thing he has endured. The blatant attempts by adversaries to destroy one’s reputation, career and finances are an abuse of our well-guarded process and violate our God-given rights afforded in the Constitution. It is a frightening thing to contemplate what we may be witnessing here – the undermining...

Senators who served with Alaska Republican Ted Stevens, as well as the man who beat him last November, voiced relief at the Justice Department’s decision to throw out the case against him. Sen. Lisa Murkowski , R-Alaska, said she was pleased the charges against her former colleague would be dropped, “but I am deeply disturbed that the government can ruin a man’s career and then say ‘never mind.’ There is nothing that will ever compensate for the loss of his reputation or leadership to the State of Alaska.” Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska, the Democrat who narrowly defeated Stevens last...

The Justice Department, in the wake of its humiliating decision to drop the corruption conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), has agreed to throw out the results of the 2008 Senate race, in which Stevens was narrowly defeated by Democrat Mark Begich. Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, was thought to be favored to win re-election last year against Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, until the 85-year-old Stevens was indicted for lying on Senate financial disclosure forms about renovations done to his home by a contractor friend. He was later convicted of seven felony counts. But the decision...

The U.S. Justice Department filed a motion Wednesday to drop its case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who was convicted of seven counts of corruption last fall. Justice Department sources told FOX News that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder decided to abandon the case due to prosecutorial misconduct.

The Justice Department will drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, NPR has learned. A jury convicted Stevens last fall of seven counts of lying on his Senate disclosure form in order to conceal $250,000 in gifts from an oil industry executive and other friends. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, however, he lost his bid for an eighth full term in office just days after he was convicted. Since then, charges of prosecutorial misconduct have delayed his sentencing and prompted defense motions for a new trial. According to Justice Department officials, U.S. Attorney General...

David H. Stevens, president of Long & Foster, the Washington real estate firm, is expected to be nominated tomorrow to run the Federal Housing Administration. Though the Obama administration declined to confirm the appointment today, sources said Stevens has been undergoing the required background checks. These sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not have the administration's permission to speak publicly. If confirmed by Congress, Stevens would be the only FHA commissioner in recent years with a strong background in single-family home mortgages. After more than two decades in the financial services industry, Stevens has overseen every aspect...

In a surprising move, the Justice Department has removed the prosecution team that won the corruption conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) from any further litigation in the case... This comes after Judge Emmet Sullivan, who presided over the Stevens trial and continues to preside over post-conviction fights over the legitimacy of those proceedings, ruled that four DOJ lawyers, including Brenda Morris, chief prosecutor in the Stevens' case, and William Welch, head of DOJ's Public Integrity Section, were in contempt for failure to comply with his orders. Sullivan has been angered by the Justice Department's unwillingness to turn over...

five-year FBI agent assigned to the Alaska corruption investigation is the whistleblower who brought a complaint of misconduct against other agents and at least one prosecutor involved in the trial of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

"...The whistle-blower's complaint, dated Dec. 2, is now the subject of an internal investigation by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, according to a memorandum and order signed Friday by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of the District of Columbia. Sullivan revealed the existence of the complaint, and three secret hearings about it last week, in his 29-page order. Sullivan said little about the nature of the alleged misconduct. Among the allegations was that a government employee accepted "multiple things of value" from sources cooperating in the investigation, Sullivan said. The judge also reported that the whistle-blower accused at...

Sen. Barack Obama "is a member of the Nudist Party." Sen. Ted Stevens participated in "kinky sex adventures." Sen. John Mccain "looks like a pig." Sen. Hillary Clinton's conception was "a complete accident," and when she was born, "she had clubbed feet and her arms bent the wrong way." These are just some of the disparaging claims citizen-editors have made about U.S. senators in their Wikipedia profiles.

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the oldest and longest-serving justice on the Court, will swear in Joseph Biden as Vice-President on Jan. 20, a source close to the inaugural planners has confirmed to Legal Times. Stevens, 88, was named to the Court in 1975 by President Gerald Ford. It is rare for a vice president to be sworn in by an associate justice appointed by a president of the opposite party, so this choice can be seen as a bipartisan gesture -- though Stevens is usually regarded as one of the most liberal justices on the Court.

"I testified to the fact that there was never immunity for me or my family and friends," welder David Anderson said in a November letter to a federal judge placed in court files by Stevens' lawyers. "That is simply not true."

WASHINGTON (AP) - One of the government's witnesses against convicted Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska now says he wasn't truthful on the stand. David Anderson, who worked on Stevens' house for VECO founder Bill Allen, testified during the trial that there was no agreement with the Justice Department for immunity for him, his family or friends in exchange for his testimony.

Kirlins say they will only have to cede 15 percent of south Boulder lot. Two Boulder neighbors have settled an adverse-possession case that made national headlines last year and prompted changes to the state's law, according to a joint statement released Tuesday. Don and Susie Kirlin, who originally lost 34 percent of one of their vacant south Boulder lots to their neighbors Richard McLean and Edith Stevens, said they had settled a lawsuit and will only cede 15 percent of the lot. "This settlement allows the parties to put this longstanding and difficult dispute behind them," the couples wrote in...

The Libs are licking their chops to get some new legislators Justices on the Supreme Court. The Washington Post checks the roster and regrets to inform their fellow Democrats that Mr. Make It Up As You Go Living, Breathing Constitution himself, Justice Stevens, has no plans to retire.

Anchorage mayor Mark Begich (D) increased his lead over Republican Sen. Ted Stevens (Alaska) to 1,022 votes as of late Friday, giving Democrats hope of raising their Senate majority to 58 seats. State officials suspended their tally for the weekend and are scheduled to begin counting the remaining absentee and provisional ballots early next week. Campaign officials estimate that there are about 25,000 ballots left to count, including about 15,000 absentee and provisional ballots from the Anchorage area and nearly 10,000 absentee ballots from the Kenai Peninsula and Juneau. Democrats say they are confident about the race because, since election...

Senate Republicans will decide whether or not to kick embattled Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) out of the Republican Conference at a members-only meeting on Tuesday — his 85th birthday. Republicans will meet behind closed doors at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday to decide Stevens’ fate. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) plans to offer a motion that would oust Stevens from the Conference and take away his committee assignments.

On top of everything else, we don't need a filibuster-proof supermajority, controlled by Dems, in the U.S. Senate. If that happens, there won't be anybody to filibuster on limiting abortion (including forcing pro-life doctors to perform abortions), stopping the so-called "Fair"ness Doctrine, fighting against higher taxes, etc.. In Georgia, conservative Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss is in a runoff on Dec. 2. They're still counting votes in Alaska and Minnesota, and in Minnesota they keep "finding" absentee ballots.

Stevens' lead in Alaska is down to 971 votes. It looks like the Dems are going to get Alaska AND Minnesota. And there are so-called Conservatives that just want to hand them Georgia as well. Stevens, Ted REP 118602 47.50% Begich, Mark DEM 117631 47.11%

President-elect Barack Obama may have the rare chance to appoint two judges to the Supreme Court, giving the former law professor an opportunity to make a further lasting mark on American society. Already observers are weighing in on what Obama could do in the key decision on replacements for the highest court in the land. "It is quite likely he would choose a woman or a minority," said Nathaniel Persily, a law professor at Columbia University in New York. "If he could find a Hispanic woman, that would be ideal, the best choice," he added. Only two women have served...

South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint is pushing his party’s leadership to expel Sen. Ted Stevens from the Senate during this month’s “lame duck” session, according to people familiar with his plans. DeMint, one of the most conservative members of the Senate, is said to be angry with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for tolerating a convicted felon in the GOP caucus.

Sen. Ted Stevens holding thin margin in Alaska By Sean Cockerham / McClatchy Newspapers Wednesday, November 5, 2008 - Added 9h ago ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was leading challenger Mark Begich with most of the election returns in hand Tuesday night, despite being found guilty of seven felonies and polls showing him in deep trouble. With more than 80 percent of the precincts reporting, Stevens held a 2-percentage point advantage over Democrat Begich. About 4,000 votes separated the candidates. The razor-thin margin means the Senate race might not be decided for two weeks. Still to be counted...

Coleman is up 1,600 votes with 95% reporting Stevens, the complete fraud that he is, holds only a 1% lead at about 1100 votes. 66% of precincts reporting. I'm going to bed. Prop 8 is going to pass out here and my GOP congressman who actually called the Fannie and Freddie Mac situation in 2005 got re-elected.

Sen. Chambliss (R-GA) is going to win in his State, Smith (R-OR) will lose. I think that Sen. Coleman (R-MN) will barely win his re-election (with 48% reporting, he is actually trailing the rat), but who knows? Any news/internals from AK?

WASHINGTON -- Juror No. 4 in Sen. Ted Stevens' federal corruption trial, otherwise known as Marian Hinnant, did not leave to attend her father's funeral in California, as she told the judge. Instead, Hinnant had a plane ticket to see the Breeder's Cup at the Santa Anita race track and didn't want to miss it, she told the judge this morning, in what sounded like completely irrational and perhaps even delusional remarks. "I just wanted to go to the Breeder's Cup," she told reporters after a hearing the judge held to find out why she left town and lost contact...

JUNEAU, Alaska — Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye provided a campaign boost yesterday to embattled Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, predicting that his colleague from Alaska will win re-election and overturn his conviction on appeal. “I am absolutely confident that Ted Stevens will be sworn into the Senate while he appeals this unjust verdict,” said Inouye, D-Hawaii, a longtime friend of Stevens. “I am certain that this decision in Washington, D.C., will be overturned on appeal.” Stevens was convicted last month by a jury in Washington on seven counts of lying on Senate disclosure forms to conceal more than $250,000 in gifts...

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye provided a campaign boost Saturday to embattled Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, predicting that his colleague from Alaska will win re-election and overturn his conviction on appeal. "I am absolutely confident that Ted Stevens will be sworn into the Senate while he appeals this unjust verdict," said Inouye, D-Hawaii, a longtime friend of Stevens. "I am certain that this decision in Washington, D.C., will be overturned on appeal." Stevens was convicted last month by a jury in Washington on seven counts of lying on Senate disclosure forms to conceal more than $250,000 in...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and a member of his Democratic caucus clashed over whether Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) can continue to serve despite his conviction on federal corruption charges. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) said on Saturday that he was certain Stevens’s conviction would be overturned on appeal and that he would be allowed to remain in the Senate. “As the Senate has done in every other instance in its long 220-year history, I am absolutely confident that Ted Stevens will be sworn into the Senate while he appeals this unjust verdict,” Inouye said. The Democrat’s statement of support...

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Email a Friend Email to a Friend Republican Senator Ted Stevens has fallen eight points behind Democrat Mark Begich in his bid for re-election, and most Alaska voters now believe Stevens should resign from office. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey of Alaska voters, conducted a day after Stevens was found guilty of filing false financial disclosure forms, finds that 52% plan to vote for Begich while 44% support Stevens. Alaskan Independence Party candidate Bob Bird picks up three percent (3%) of the vote while two percent (2%) remain undecided.

GOP presidential candidate John McCain, already fighting a political environment hostile to Republicans, said Tuesday morning that Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) should resign from the Senate. Stevens was convicted on seven felony counts of failing to disclose gifts, leading McCain to say in a statement that the longest-serving Senate Republican has “broken his trust” with his constituents and that he should step down. “It is a sign of the health of our democracy that the people continue to hold their representatives to account for improper or illegal conduct, but this verdict is also a sign of the corruption and insider-dealing that...

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens' conviction Monday on corruption charges gives Democrats a late boost in an improbable drive to win the 60-vote Senate supermajority they want as they look ahead to the new Congress. Until the jury rendered its verdict, Stevens had been in a close race with his opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, in a state that hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate in a generation. Now Begich becomes the favorite as Republicans walk away from the 84-year-old Senate veteran and Democrats and their political allies waste no time trumpeting his conviction. "Alaskans deserve better than a convicted...