In the News Archive

Next week, for the second time in two years, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument in a case for the purpose of resolving a split in the circuits concerning the scope of the bank fraud statute — 18 U.S.C. §1344. 

Mr. Lewis said that “there is no there there” on the allegations of any Saudi government role in the attacks, given the kingdom’s long history of being at war with Al Qaeda.

“The notion that senior Saudi officials or the Saudi government had an interest in supporting Sept. 11 and the attack on the World Trade Center is patently absurd,” he said.

Anthony Capozzolo told Bloomberg BNA that one of the biggest reasons the government didn't go forward was because the Supreme Court's decision “eviscerated” the government's case.

The ruling made it “nearly impossible to prove attempts,” Capozzolo said.

“The Department of Justice views this decision as having a material effect on the way they’ve been prosecuting quid pro quo cases in the past,” said Anthony M. Capozzolo, a former federal prosecutor, who interpreted the McDonnells’ decisions as “a sign that they’re going to handle these cases differently.”

Such an apparent disagreement is not uncommon, said Anthony Capozzolo, a former federal prosecutor who handled public corruption cases in New York. But he told the Two-Way that the Justice Department's action is a "game changer" that could impact other public integrity cases.

"The government had a good case in terms of jury appeal," Capozzolo said. "But it appears the department's decision is solely based on the view that McDonnell's activity did not rise to the level of the standard in the Supreme Court decision."

Elizabeth Marvin, an attorney with Lewis Baach in Washington, D.C., agreed, saying, "A holding that the bill also violates Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act of 1964] is a logical extension of the Aug. 26 holding." However, she added, "It is far too early to predict an ultimate outcome."

Transgender individuals are feeling the brunt of the law, said Elizabeth Marvin, an attorney with Lewis Baach in Washington, D.C. 

"Because H.B. 2 will be difficult if not impossible to enforce, it will create a culture in which private citizens feel that they have the right and duty to be gender monitors in public restrooms," Marvin said. She cautioned that this "could potentially result in more violence and harassment directed toward transgender individuals."

Mr. Francos is quoted in the article.

In this exclusive Of Counsel piece, Julie Copeland and Mirella deRose, take a look at the “ABCs” of compliance.

Mr. Robinson's is quoted sharing his impression to the June 23 Supreme Court decision regarding affirmative action. 

Mr. Robinson is quoted in the article sharing his perspective on Justice Kennedy's decision. 

A U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia imposed a below-Guidelines sentence for a Syrian-born U.S.citizen who pleaded guilty to providing equipment to forces opposing the Syrian regime in violation of U.S. sanctions laws.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Puerto Rico and the U.S. government may not prosecute individuals for the same crimes in a case that tested the limits of the territory's sovereignty, an issue that has become increasingly urgent as the commonwealth has struggled with a massive debt problem.

Mr. Francos is a contributing author.

Mr. Francos is mentioned in the article.

"The case had a low profile until he started his hunger strike, with the Egyptians reluctant to even admit he was being held," said Waleed Nassar, a senior associate with Lewis Baach PLLC, the law firm representing Soltan in the US. This led to "an uphill battle where you have to prove your client exists”, Nassar told Al Jazeera.

"Some [American] congressmen told us the Egyptian ambassador denied that Egypt was holding Soltan in prison on at least two occasions," said Nassar, who specialises in international dispute resolution.