Senate Judiciary Committee U S

In a major departure from the Bush administration, the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday issued new work site enforcement guidelines that shift the focus to employers rather than illegal workers and could be a harbinger of more immigration reforms. The federal guidelines instruct agents to conduct "carefully planned criminal investigations" of employers and to look for evidence that they may be involved in smuggling or visa fraud.

Republicans have chosen Jeff Sessions to be their leader on the Senate Judiciary Committee, making the conservative Alabaman the public face of the GOP during coming battles over immigration and the next Supreme Court nominee. A formal vote installing Sessions to replace Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania -- who announced last week that he was switching to the Democratic Party -- as ranking Republican on the committee could come as early as today.

Senate Democrats assailed Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey on Wednesday for refusing to offer an opinion on the legality of waterboarding, an interrogation method that many consider a form of illegal torture. In often sharp exchanges, the lawmakers accused Mukasey of trying to protect the Bush administration, with one comparing him to a corporate lawyer trying to cover up the misdeeds of his client.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday vigorously challenged FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III for the bureau's handling of the anthrax mailings investigation, signaling that they were not convinced the case had been solved. Both the panel's Democratic chairman and its most senior Republican said that, based on what evidence they had seen, the FBI had not proved that the mailings were perpetrated solely by Bruce E.

The Bush administration, accused of politicizing the hiring and firing of U.S. attorneys, agreed Thursday not to oppose legislation to restore rules ensuring Senate oversight when new prosecutors are named, Senate Democrats said. The Justice Department also agreed to make five senior officials available to the Senate Judiciary Committee for questioning about the removal of eight U.S. attorneys in recent months, according to Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, indicating they think there is more to learn about the firings of eight federal prosecutors last year, asked Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales on Monday to turn over additional documents on the terminations and threatened to issue subpoenas if the materials were not forthcoming. Specifically, the four senators want the internal rankings that the Justice Department made of all 93 U.S. attorneys over the years, as well as employment charts that Monica M.

When Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales faces angry Senate Democrats on Tuesday, he will acknowledge that he made a range of mistakes in the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys last year and will apologize to them and their families, but he will insist that even though the White House was originally behind the terminations, none of the prosecutors were fired for political reasons.

\o7Excerpts from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales testified: \f7 "The truth is that these firings haven't been explained, and there is mounting evidence of improper considerations and actions resulting in the dismissals. The dismissed U.S. attorneys have testified under oath they believe political influence resulted in their being replaced. If they're right, the mixing of partisan political goals into ... law enforcement is highly improper." Sen.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote next Tuesday on Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s nomination to the Supreme Court, officials announced Monday night, and the full Senate will begin debate the following day. In a written statement, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said he looked forward to a swift and "fair up-or-down vote" on Alito, President Bush's choice to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., President Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court, is expected to clear his first congressional hurdle today when the Senate Judiciary Committee votes to recommend his confirmation -- setting the stage for consideration in the full Senate as early as this week. Each vote is expected to divide largely along party lines.