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For Justice Department employees who had spent weeks contemplating the possibility of two-time federal criminal defendant Donald Trump returning to the presidency, Joe Biden’s decision to drop out and endorse Kamala Harris offered a sense of relief. Former and current Justice Department employees believe that a future president Harris, a former prosecutor, unlike Trump, would respect the norms that have been in place to ensure DOJ independence in the half-century since Watergate. Those fears of another Trump term are central to a new letter endorsing Harris, signed by more than 40 former Justice Department officials who served under presidents of...

Much has been written about Obama’s controversial appointments, not only to the federal bench, but to key cabinet positions, as well as to the unaccountable (and probably unconstitutional) “Czar” positions. Much of the criticism has dwelled on the Obama administration’s lack of vetting when filling these rolls—but that’s not the issue. To the contrary, the Obama team did investigate thoroughly and they choose precisely. When an administration repeatedly nominates hard-left individuals, it’s not a vetting error—it’s a pattern. We should not allow the media to portray these appointments as a series of errors; but rather, we need to realize that...

Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discussed using their covert operation "Fast and Furious" to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales. PICTURES: ATF "Gunwalking" scandal timeline In Fast and Furious, ATF secretly encouraged gun dealers to sell to suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels to go after the "big fish." But ATF whistleblowers told CBS News and Congress it was a dangerous practice called "gunwalking," and it put thousands of weapons on the street. Many were used in violent crimes in Mexico. Two were found at the murder...

The new federal crackdown on medical marijuana announced October 7 by the four California U.S. Attorneys sent chills throughout the industry. It was a stunning reversal by the Obama administration. Only two years ago, Deputy U.S. Attorney General David Ogden wrote his infamous "Ogden Memo," announcing that the feds wouldn't bother businesses in compliance with their own state laws. It proved a dose of Miracle-Gro to California, where pot-selling stores have multiplied since voters approved the state's 1996 medical marijuana law. By late last year, California reportedly had more dispensaries than Starbucks outlets.

They knew, they ordered it and even had a news conference to announce it!

The second-in-command at the Justice Department is leaving his post, officials announced Thursday — making him the third top Obama legal official to announce his departure in recent weeks. Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden will return to private practice in February. White House General Counsel Greg Craig will step down in January, and Phillip Carter, a top Defense Department deputy assistant secretary dealing with detainee issues, has already left. Ogden, who managed the civil division during the Clinton administration, headed up President Barack Obama’s transition into office last year. In a statement, Ogden said that his tenure in the...

Note: The following text is a quote: Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMonday, October 19, 2009 Attorney General Announces Formal Medical Marijuana Guidelines Attorney General Eric Holder today announced formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The guidelines make clear that the focus of federal resources should not be on individuals whose actions are in compliance with existing state laws, while underscoring that the Department will continue to prosecute people whose claims of compliance with state and local law conceal operations inconsistent with the...

Note: The following text is a quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2009 AT 2:56 PM Ethics Update Posted by Norm Eisen We have previously reported six limited waivers that have been granted by the White House pursuant to the President’s Executive Order on Ethics for Executive Branch personnel – the strongest ethics standards in U.S. government history. Three of these waivers involved lobbying-related issues and three did not. We blogged about them here, here, and here. Several months ago, the public interest community suggested that we also make available in a central place limited waivers...

The Senate Judiciary Committee recently voted 14–5 to send David Ogden’s nomination as Deputy Attorney General to the full U.S. Senate for a confirmation vote. This confirmation could permanently diminish the parental rights of all American citizens. It is anticipated that the Senate will hold its vote sometime this week. President Obama’s decision to nominate David Ogden to the second highest position in the Justice Department as the Deputy Attorney General is again bringing his leadership into question. Ogden is most known for his history of representing Playboy and other purveyors of pornography in high-profile legal cases. He also challenged...

Tuesday March 3, 2009 Family Advocates: Ask the Senate to Stop the Child Porn Lawyer from Becoming Dep. Attorney General By Kathleen GilbertWASHINGTON, D.C., March 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved President Obama's pick for deputy attorney general, David Ogden, despite a deluge of protest from Christian and pro-family advocates who object to Ogden's extensive history defending child pornography and hardcore pornography giants.Sen. Arlen Specter, the committee's top Republican, reportedly said on National Public Radio that he had never seen so much opposition from voters against a nominee. According to Specter 11,000 phone calls, letters and...

If you think Eric Holder our new Attorney General is a bad choice because he helped Clinton sell pardons to terrorists and tax cheats, consider David Ogden, the menace Obama is installing as Deputy Attorney General. Why is he a bad choice? Ogden represented Playboy Enterprises, trying to force the Library of Congress to prepare Braille copies of its “articles” at our expense. Braille porn? He successfully argued that the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 which would have protected children from being forced to appear in porno films, would be unfair to pornographers saying it would “...

Senate Judiciary Committee Backs Pro-Abortion Obama Justice Pick David Ogden by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com Editor February 26, 2009 Email RSSPrint Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of David Ogden for Deputy Attorney General. The panel voted for the pro-abortion nominee President Barack Obama put forward even though pro-life groups opposed him because of his pro-abortion views.The 14-5 vote saw all of the Democrats on the panel approve of Ogden's nomination while five pro-life Republicans joined together in opposition to him.Those opposing Ogden were Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John Cornyn of Texas, Chuck Grassley...

published by:Public Discourse: Ethics, Law and the Common Goodhttp://www.thepublicdiscourse.com view article in original form David Ogden and the New Pornographers: Why the Senate Should Reject His Nominationby Matthew Schmitz February 12, 2009 David Ogden has impressive legal credentials, but his long career as a pornography-industry attorney casts doubt on his ability to enforce laws meant to protect children. David Ogden graduated from Harvard Law School, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, and worked in the Justice Department under President Bill Clinton. He brings to his Senate confirmation hearings a long résumé that shows him to be an effective and...

David Ogden, nominated by President Obama to help lead the Department of Justice, was grilled by lawmakers yesterday during his confirmation hearing. Ogden’s nomination has been a source of controversy, due to the fact that he has a long record of arguing against child pornography laws, and for a virtually unlimited abortion license. He has represented clients such as Playboy, Penthouse, and the ACLU. "You've taken some very extraordinary positions, some left-leaning and unorthodox positions," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. told Ogden during yesterday’s hearings. In the process of the hearing, however, Ogden experienced what Fidelis, a coalition of pro-family organizations,...

Obama Justice Nominee Used to Represent Playboy David Ogden, President Obama's pick for deputy attorney general, used to represent Playboy -- in one case paving the way for the blind to enjoy the magazine at the Library of Congress. FOXNews.com Wednesday, February 04, 2009 Senators might want to hold David Ogden's confirmation hearing after the kids go to bed. That's because the man in line to become No. 2 at the nation's top law enforcement agency was once a strident defender of Playboy and other purveyors of nudity. And some critics are drawing attention to his risque legal work ahead...

President Obama has now achieved a pay grade that requires him to confront weighty decisions regarding the state of this nation's legal order, and the protection of human life. Among those decisions will be whether to use the Department of Justice and our courts to advance a legal order that upholds a Culture of Life. The President appears to be signaling his approach through several nominations to the Department of Justice, and one must wonder whether the Culture of Death is at the threshold. A number of the high-level nominees for Justice, if we view their records as an indicator,...

CHICAGO – President Obama has made a major mistake and put America’s families at risk by selecting David Ogden to become Deputy Attorney General, says Fidelis, a pro-family organization. “David Ogden is a hired gun from Playboy and ACLU. He can’t run from his long record of opposing common sense laws protecting families, women, and children. The United States Senate has a responsibility to the American people to insure that Mr. Ogden’s full record is fully reviewed before any vote on his nomination” said Brian Burch, President of Fidelis. “Ogden’s record is nothing short of obscene. He has represented Playboy...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama has come under fire for pro-abortion nominations for various positions and now he is drawing heat for nominating a pro-abortion Deputy Attorney General. His nominee David Ogden, is drawing criticism for authoring a Supreme Court brief dismissing negative effects from an abortion.During the campaign, Obama came under heavy criticism for a comment saying he did not want his daughters punished with a pregnancy -- intimating that abortion would be the preferred course of action.Now, Obama has appointed a top Justice Department official who appears to feel the same way.Millions of women deal...

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama won applause from legal adversaries of the recording industry. Stanford law professor Larry Lessig, the doyen of the "free culture" movement, endorsed the Illinois senator, as did Google CEO Eric Schmidt and even the Pirate Party. That was then. As president-elect, one of Obama's first tech-related decisions has been to select the Recording Industry Association of America's favorite lawyer to be the third in command at the Justice Department. And Obama's pick as deputy attorney general, the second most senior position, is the lawyer who oversaw the defense of the Copyright Term Extension Act--the...

In a meeting last month with the Barack Obama’s transition staff, representatives of the nation’s top prosecutors caught a glimpse of the president-elect’s thinking on the politically fraught issue of what to do with the the current 93 U.S. attorneys. “[The president-elect] is going to be smart and be cautious. My gut feeling is it won’t be like it was in 1993,” said U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton of Texas’ Western District, a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys. On Dec. 11, Sutton and 15 other members of the committee met with Obama’s DOJ transition chief, David...