Pressure rising: Criticism of Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. continues to ramp up, as Republicans clamor about a perjury investigation and renew calls for the country's top law enforcement official to step down. The National Law Journal has this report. In meetings yesterday with media editors, Holder vowed new rules concerning how prosecutors go about seizing evidence from the press in criminal investigations. The Wall Street Journal has this report on Holder's pledge to change DOJ guidelines.
By the numbers: The 2013 Am Law 200 is now available. "One thing is clear: Second Hundred firms are on a hiring binge. What's not certain is when—or whether—it will pay off," the Am Law report says. From a comprehensive package of stories: "The 2013 Am Law 200: The Second Hundred Bets on Bulk," and "The Am Law 200's Haves and Have-Nots."
Comey's record: In today's New York Times, a spotlight on the record of James Comey, the longtime former Main Justice official who's the reported pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Times reports: "senior Senate aides said no immediate red flags were raised on Capitol Hill to indicate a bruising confirmation fight when President Obama makes his choice official." The National Law Journal reports today: "Obama's Reported FBI Pick Willing to Ruffle Feathers." Via The Washington Post today: "Civil liberties groups criticize Comey, but colleagues praise him."
Survivor: Embattled Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio survives a recall effort after organizers of the effort failed to collect 335,000 by the deadline. From NPR: "Last week, a federal judge ruled that Arpaio, who is the sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., had violated the civil rights of Latinos by engaging in racial profiling. Arpaio, the self-proclaimed 'toughest sheriff in America,' denies the charge and intends to appeal."
Message in a court ruling: Here's what a state appellate court in Connecticut had to say about a prosecutor, Terence Mariani, who has been cited for impropriety in the past: "Because we conclude that Mariani has engaged in a deliberate pattern of improper conduct in this case and others, and he remains undeterred by pronouncements by this court and our Supreme Court that his conduct was improper, we believe that nothing short of reversal will have the effect of deterring him." The outcome: the appeals court vacated a conviction in murder case.
Setback: The Los Angeles Times reports today: "Appeals court deals California another setback on executions."
Comments