Department of Justice

[phkrause]

Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights

ATLANTA (AP) — Jail officials in Georgia’s most populous county are violating the constitutional rights of people in their custody by failing to protect them from violence, using excessive force and holding them in filthy and unsafe conditions, U.S. Justice Department officials said Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fulton-county-jail-investigation-c6c8e088d7e8aee58e6420cac15d7b49?

[phkrause]

DOJ finds Oklahoma City police discriminate against people with behavioral disabilities

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City and its police department have discriminated against people with behavioral health disabilities, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday after releasing the latest in a series of investigations into state and local law enforcement agencies.

https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-police-investigation-8f4f4e43a6da8727cebd2dcf3d030344?

[phkrause]

US Justice Department accuses six major landlords of scheming to keep rents high The U.S. Justice Department is suing several large landlords for allegedly coordinating to keep Americans’ rents high by using both an algorithm to help set rents and privately sharing sensitive information with their competitors to boost profits. Read more.

Why this matters: The department, along with 10 states including North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado and California, is accusing six landlords that collectively operate more than 1.3 million units in 43 states and the District of Columbia of scheming to avoid lowering rents. While the housing crisis has been assigned several causes, including a slump in homes built over the last decade, the Justice Department’s lawsuit claims major landlords are playing a part.   The lawsuit accuses the landlords of sharing sensitive data on rents and occupancy with competing firms via email, phone calls or in groups. The landlord Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC, a defendant in the case, published a statement on its website that said "Greystar has and will conduct its business with the utmost integrity. At no time did Greystar engage in any anti-competitive practices."   The lawsuit arrives as U.S. renters continue to struggle under a merciless housing market, with incomes failing to keep up with rent increases. The latest figures show that half of American renters spent more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities in 2022, an all-time high.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Consumer watchdog says Berkshire Hathaway unit ignored red flags in manufactured home loans   Is Hawaii’s historic investment in affordable housing paying off?   US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people

[phkrause]

Justice Department Sues Six of the Nation’s Largest Landlords in Effort to Stop Alleged Price-Fixing in Rental Markets

Federal prosecutors allege that the landlords have used RealPage pricing software to collude and artificially raise rents. The legal action is the latest development stemming from a 2022 ProPublica investigation.

https://www.propublica.org/article/justice-department-sues-landlords-alleged-price-fixing-realpage-rent?

[phkrause]

Hunter Biden

The Justice Department special counsel, whose six-year case into Hunter Biden was short-circuited by the unconditional pardon President Joe Biden granted to his son, criticized the outgoing president in his final report released Monday. Special counsel David Weiss chastised Biden for making “gratuitous and wrong” accusations that his long-running investigation into Hunter Biden was unfair and tainted by politics. When the president pardoned his son in early December, he said Hunter Biden was the victim of a “selective” prosecution that was “unfair” and a “miscarriage of justice.” Weiss said in his report that “other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.”

 

ps:I do agree with SC David Weiss that President Biden didn't need to malign anyone for what they did to his son!!

[phkrause]

Falsely claiming it received threats, Orlando hotel canceled Arab American conference: DOJ

An Orlando hotel has agreed to institute new anti-discrimination policies after abruptly canceling a planned conference by an Arab American group in the wake of the outbreak of hostilities in Gaza in 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/01/17/orlando-hotel-canceled-arab-american-conference-after-false-claims-of-threats-doj/?

[phkrause]

Governor weighs removing NYC mayor after his top deputies quit amid criminal case turmoil  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she is weighing removing New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office after four of his top deputies announced their resignations in the latest fallout from the Justice Department’s push to end his corruption case. Read more.

Why this matters: Adams has been under increasing scrutiny since the Justice Department’s second-in-command ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week to drop his corruption case to ensure his cooperation in Republican President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — raising questions about the mayor’s political independence and ability to lead the city.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Ex-Watergate prosecutor urges judge to reject request to drop charges against NYC mayor   Trump border czar and NYC mayor interview with ‘Fox & Friends’ on immigration commitments

[phkrause]

New York governor won’t remove NYC mayor, for now, but plans to increase oversight of City Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — Gov. Kathy Hochul won’t immediately remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, but will instead push for increased oversight of City Hall as he faces intense scrutiny over his bribery case and his relationship with the Trump administration.

https://apnews.com/article/nyc-mayor-new-york-trump-14be53dca175ef4bf8a3c4204ba7ff05?

Conservative powerhouse tapped to make case against dropping Eric Adams charges

A federal judge on Friday indefinitely paused New York City Mayor Eric Adams' criminal fraud trial but didn't dismiss his charges.

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/21/eric-adams-trial-paused-charges-paul-clement?

[phkrause]

Judge vacates upcoming Eric Adams corruption trial but appoints conservative attorney to argue against dropping the case

A federal judge has vacated the upcoming trial date for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but declined to immediately dismiss the charges all together in a case that has roiled the Justice Department.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/21/politics/eric-adams-charges-ruling/index.html?

[phkrause]

? DOJ investigating insurance giant

Data: Financial Modeling Prep;. Chart: Axios Visuals The Justice Department is investigating UnitedHealth Group's Medicare billing practices, The Wall Street Journal reports. The news sent UnitedHealth's stock tumbling — dragging down the S&P 500, which sank 1.7% for its worst day in two months ? The WSJ previously reported that Medicare had made billions of dollars in questionable payments to UnitedHealth, the country's largest insurer. UnitedHealth is already under a separate DOJ investigation for potential antitrust violations.

[phkrause]

Conservative commentators seen with 'Epstein Files' binders after AG Bondi promises docs release

Conservative political commentators were spotted at the White House Thursday holding binders that read “The Epstein Files” hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi promised the release of documents about wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who sexually abused underage girls. Read More.

[phkrause]

US charges Chinese hackers, government officials in broad cyberespionage campaign

Twelve Chinese nationals, including mercenary hackers, law enforcement officers and employees of a private hacking company, have been charged in connection with global cyberespionage campaigns targeting dissidents, news organizations, U.S. agencies and universities, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. Read More.

[phkrause]

Justice Dept. Is Said to Put Two Prosecutors in Adams Case on Leave

Two Manhattan prosecutors who worked on the corruption case against New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, were put on administrative leave by the Justice Department on Friday, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/nyregion/eric-adams-prosecutors-sdny.html?

[phkrause]

Justice Department defends deportation flights, telling judge that his oral order "is not enforceable"

The Justice Department made an extraordinary argument to a federal judge today that an oral order he issued during a court hearing Saturday afternoon “is not enforceable.”

https://www.cnn.com/webview/politics/live-news/trump-administration-presidency-03-17-25?

[phkrause]

US Justice Department to seek the death penalty for Mangione

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday the Justice Department will seek the death penalty for accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/politics/death-penalty-doj-luigi-mangione?

[phkrause]

Judge dismisses corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

A federal judge dismissed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case on Wednesday, agreeing it was the only practical outcome while blasting the Justice Department’s “troubling” rationale for wanting the charges thrown out — namely so the Democrat could help President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Read More.

[phkrause]

DOJ grants

The Department of Justice canceled more than 350 federal grants this week, with the terminations sending shockwaves through grantee organizations. Some of the canceled grants were used to fight hate crimes, gun violence and opioid abuse. Several helped crime victims find services to assist in their recovery. Other grants funded trauma recovery centers or programs to track and reform policing and the juvenile justice system. When asked why the grants were cut, a DOJ spokesperson said the agency was more focused on prosecuting criminals, getting illegal drugs off the streets and protecting American institutions from “toxic” DEI and sanctuary city policies. “Discretionary funds that are no longer aligned with the administration’s priorities are subject to review and reallocation,” the spokesperson said.

[phkrause]

? Bondi: DOJ can now subpoena journalists

The Justice Department is rescinding a policy that shielded journalists from most subpoenas, Axios' Andrew Solender, Marc Caputo and Sara Fischer report.

? Why it matters: It is a sign that Bondi will continue the first Trump administration's practice of trying to obtain reporters' newsgathering materials in an effort to smoke out leakers.

• Bondi's predecessor, Merrick Garland, made journalists off-limits for most subpoenas.

? "I have concluded that it is necessary to rescind Merrick Garland's policies precluding the Department of Justice from seeking records and compelling testimony from members of the news media in order to identify and punish the source of improper leaks," Bondi wrote in an internal memo obtained by Axios.

• Keep reading.

[phkrause]

The Justice Department ended a decades-old school desegregation order. Others are expected to fall

When the Justice Department lifted a school desegregation order in Louisiana this week, officials called its continued existence a “historical wrong” and suggested that others dating to the Civil Rights Movement should be reconsidered. Read More.

[phkrause]

Congresswoman charged

The Justice Department has charged Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver with assaulting federal law enforcement during a protest outside an ICE detention facility. On May 9, Reps. McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr. visited the facility in Newark, New Jersey, because they said it was not up to date on necessary permits. At the end of their visit, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka tried to join them and walked inside the facility's gate. Federal agents told Baraka to leave, then began to detain him once he left the fenced-in area. When the lawmakers and other protesters tried to stop the arrest, pushing and shouting ensued. Baraka was handcuffed, taken into custody and charged with trespassing, but those charges were later dropped. It is unclear whether the DOJ will charge Coleman and Menendez Jr. as well.

[phkrause]

US Mint moves forward with plans to kill the penny

The U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out, a Treasury Department official confirmed Thursday. Read More.

[phkrause]

Justice Department says Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face US trial before any move to deport him again

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Thursday that it intends to try Kilmar Abrego Garcia on federal smuggling charges in Tennessee before it moves to deport him, addressing fears that he could be expelled again from the U.S. within days.

https://apnews.com/article/kilmar-abrego-garcia-maryland-tennessee-charges-deportation-c96844906793b35a80f9bbb4afa07e94?

[phkrause]

Justice Department says Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face US trial before any move to deport him again The Justice Department said Thursday that it intends to try Kilmar Abrego Garcia on federal smuggling charges in Tennessee before it moves to deport him, addressing fears that he could be expelled again from the U.S. within days. Read more.

Why this matters: Concerns have grown that Abrego Garcia would be swiftly deported upon his release from jail in Tennessee. During the court hearing Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes set specific conditions for Abrego Garcia’s release that included him living with his brother, a U.S. citizen, in Maryland. But she held off on releasing him over these concerns.   Justice Department attorney Jonathan Guynn acknowledged during a conference call Thursday afternoon that the U.S. government plans to deport Abrego Garcia to a “third country” that isn’t El Salvador. But he said there was no timeline for the deportation plans.

[phkrause]

? Kaine on UVA ouster: "Who's next?"

Virginia Democrats exploded with anger over the forced resignation of James Ryan as the president of the University of Virginia.

Why it matters: Lawmakers can't reinstate Ryan, but they can use his ouster to motivate their base and sound the alarm over what they think it means for academic freedom in the Trump era.

• "The fact that the federal government would get in and decide that it should micromanage who the president of UVA is just, frankly, shocking," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told reporters.
• "When you are attacking UVA, who's next? ... Maybe it'll only be higher ed systems in states that didn't vote for this president," Kaine said.

Driving the news: The Department of Justice believed Ryan was negotiating in "bad faith" about ending the school's DEI policies, according to Axios' Marc Caputo.

• Ryan made his decision under duress, according to a person familiar with the matter, with the administration threatening to revoke federal funding if he didn't resign.
• A university spokesman did not return calls or emails for comment.

What they are saying: "The treatment of President Ryan and the outcome we see today is tragic on many levels," former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told Axios.

• "Undermining a man who successfully guided UVA through historic challenges, expanded its academic excellence and strengthened its national standing sends the wrong message about the values we expect from leadership at our public institutions."

— Hans Nichols

[phkrause]

Mystery surrounds the Jeffrey Epstein files after Bondi claims 'tens of thousands' of videos

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s comments about evidence the Justice Department is reviewing from its Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation have fueled anticipation about the expected release of more files related to the New York financier. But weeks after Bondi’s claim about “tens of thousands” of Epstein videos, it's unclear what she was referring to. Read More.