On Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) put out a release outlining its intentions for and the status of the implementation of the First Step Act. Signed into law on December 21, 2018, the First Step Act is a comprehensive overhaul of the federal prison system, run by the Bureau of Prisons. Certainly, it is encouraging to see the department taking affirmative steps toward implementing the law.
Retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA) which became law in 2010 and reduced the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine from 100-to-1 to 18-to-1 has been a hotly contested issue in the criminal justice space. The primary concern from those opposed to retroactivity, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is that allowing offenders to petition the court for a review and reduction in their sentence could result in violent criminals being released to the streets, putting public safety at risk.
Last Friday, the DC Chapter of the Federalist Society hosted an event with guest Mark Brnovich, Attorney General of Arizona. A state’s AG office plays an important role in fighting federal overreach. Besides prosecuting criminal cases and defending state action, many AGs, at least the good ones, also sue the federal government.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), in a Facebook post on Saturday, responded to President Barack Obama's sharp criticism of Senate Republicans for the delay of a final confirmation vote for his Attorney General nominee, Loretta Lynch.
There are many big issues on the minds of senators as they consider the nomination of Loretta Lynch to serve as the next attorney general. But among the most concerning is that she has made it very clear that she'll continue the astonishing pattern of overreach to support warrantless spying, and she'll do it under the guise of narratives that have long been debunked.
Within the next couple of weeks, the Senate will begin confirmation hearings for the president’s nominee to replace Eric Holder as Attorney General of the United States. In anticipation of this exciting event, columnist George Will has released an excellent series of questions he would like to see answer before Lynch is confirmed.
After Eric Holder announced his resignation from Attorney General for the Obama administration, the President announced his nominee to replace him, Loretta Lynch. Ms. Lynch has experience as the chief federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, NY, and has a largely apolitical track record, leading experts to believe Lynch should have no issue securing Senate confirmation.
Senator Ted Cruz took the Senate floor to demand the Department of Justice (DoJ) appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If Attorney General Eric Holder fails to do so, Cruz maintained that he should be impeached for failing to enforce the law.
DC bureaucrats are attempting once again to interfere with the educational choice of parents. Do states have the right to direct education for the students that reside there? If the latest battle in Louisiana is any indication, some in the federal government won't be happy with anything other than invasion of your rights.