Word: attorneys
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...January, when most of Attorney General Eric Holder's friends and enemies turned against his plan to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, one man stood by him. And he was a good friend to have. At a Situation Room session on Jan. 29, Holder was virtually alone in arguing for sticking with a civilian trial for KSM. A Manhattan jury, he said, would produce a quick conviction - and that image would help restore America's reputation in the world. When others in the room argued in favor of military tribunals with special...
...past year, Holder and Obama have been navigating one of the more difficult constitutional relationships in American government. On the one hand, the Attorney General is appointed by the President; on the other, he must remain politically independent of the White House. Holder, who as Deputy Attorney General a decade ago approved both the expansion of Ken Starr's investigation of Bill Clinton and Clinton's disastrous pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, needs no lesson on the pitfalls of his position. But Holder enjoys a personal relationship with Obama that he never had with Clinton - and that makes...
...nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights.” This statute clearly allows for myriad protections against discrimination, and Virginia’s institutions of higher education have simply been upholding a similar standard of rights. It should be the focus of the attorney general to bring the specific texts of Virginia’s laws in line with such overarching legal principles...
Moreover, Cuccinelli’s move is a targeted attack on a minority group. The Commonwealth of Virginia allows colleges and universities to operate under other policies without explicit permission; for example, a former Virginia assistant Commonwealth attorney pointed out that many places of higher education prevent their staff and students from carrying concealed weapons on the premises, even though this rule does not apply in the rest of Virginia. By singling out this specific legal point at this specific time, Cuccinelli’s letter seems suspiciously discriminatory itself...
Whether or not Virginia’s attorney general is pursuing ends other than the upholding of legal doctrine throughout the state, Virginia should pass laws to cover the protections he aims to take away. Steps are already being taken toward this end. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell has issued a directive banning state discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Virginia’s General Assembly and other legal bodies should follow his example and also uphold gay rights. The attorney general seems to be using this hot-button political issue to make a stand against important civil liberties protections...