Constitutional Law

Supporters, Critics On Mukasey's Efforts At Reform

Attorney General Michael Mukasey faced tough questioning and skeptical responses from senators during a hearing earlier this month to gage his efforts to help heal an ailing department. The New York Times’ Eric Lichtblau reported today that Mukasey’s “go-slow” approach to addressing the scandals of his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales, “has surprised even some admirers, who see him as unwilling to break from past policies and leave his own imprint in the closing months of the Bush administration.”

One of Mukasey’s supporters, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), told the newspaper that while Mukasey has “gotten the Justice Department back on a footing of integrity,” he “hasn’t provided the balance that I had hoped for.” Specter pointed to Mukasey’s work to protect the Bush administration’s wiretapping powers, saying “I think he was determined to sustain the administration’s position.”

A plenary panel discussion, including former acting U.S. Solicitor General Walter Dellinger and former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, at the 2008 ACS National Convention addressed steps the next administration should take to restore the Justice Department’s image, which has been rocked by political firings of U.S. attorneys and politicized hiring of career attorneys. That panel discussion, called “What’s At Stake: Law and Justice Policies in a New Administration,” can be viewed here. ACS Executive Director Lisa Brown also addressed the Justice Department's scandal over politics and hiring of career attorneys in this Talking Points Memo Cafe article.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on July 23, 2008 (boomark / email).