One legal interpretation, advanced by the Department of Justice, is that the 120-day limit for an interim U.S. attorney applies on a per-appointment basis, so each interim appointment restarts the 120-day clock.
November 24, 2025
high
legal interpretation
Competing statutory interpretations about how to calculate the 120-day tenure limit for interim U.S. attorneys.
Under U.S. law and constitutional principles, U.S. military service members are obligated not to follow unlawful orders and may refuse to carry out illegal orders.
November 20, 2025
high
legal
Describes a durable legal and constitutional principle governing the obligations of military personnel when confronted with orders they believe to be illegal.
Federal judges can exclude evidence from a prosecution if the judge finds that police conducted an illegal seizure.
November 20, 2025
high
temporal
Legal principle illustrated when a judge suppresses evidence obtained through an unlawful stop or seizure.
Courts may discredit law enforcement testimony when credibility concerns exist, and judges can criticize prosecutors for relying on testimony from officers whose credibility has been questioned.
November 20, 2025
high
temporal
Credibility findings about officers can affect admissibility of testimony and prosecutorial strategy.
Surveillance camera video can be used by defense attorneys to contradict or challenge officers' accounts of events in criminal cases.
November 20, 2025
high
temporal
Recorded footage is routinely relied on in litigation to test the accuracy of witness and officer testimony.
A dismissal 'without prejudice' in a criminal case allows the prosecution to refile the charges.
September 22, 2025
high
legal
General criminal procedure principle regarding dismissals without prejudice.
A court can declare indictments invalid if the person who presented the charges to a grand jury was not lawfully appointed to serve as a U.S. Attorney.
September 22, 2025
high
legal
Legal principle about the authority required to present charges to a grand jury.
A court may conclude that retrospective ratification by the Attorney General does not necessarily cure defects arising from an unlawful appointment of an interim U.S. Attorney.
September 22, 2025
high
legal
Judicial reasoning limiting the effect of after-the-fact validation of an official's authority.
Joint task forces co-led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are organized with a mandate to combat cartels, international gangs, and terrorist groups and are planned to have outposts in all 50 U.S. states.
September 01, 2020
high
organizational
Description of the structure and mandate of newly established joint law enforcement task forces.
Jeffrey Epstein was a financier who was a convicted sex offender.
high
background
Background identification of a central individual mentioned in reporting about allegations and investigations.
Federal law governing U.S. attorney vacancies authorizes the Attorney General to appoint interim U.S. attorneys to lead U.S. Attorney's Offices during vacancies.
high
procedural
Statutory authority for filling temporary vacancies in U.S. Attorney offices.
Unclassified records and investigative materials released by law enforcement or justice departments can include flight logs, witness interviews, and details of immunity deals.
high
procedural
Types of items commonly found among unclassified investigative materials in legal and law enforcement record releases.
The U.S. Department of Justice has pursued litigation in multiple cases challenging state laws that provide in-state tuition benefits to undocumented immigrants on the ground that those state laws conflict with federal law.
high
legal_trend
Federal enforcement actions have been used to dispute the compatibility of state tuition policies for undocumented immigrants with federal law.
Federal investigators can issue subpoenas to individuals as part of criminal and civil investigations.
high
procedural
Subpoenas are a common investigatory tool used by federal authorities to compel testimony or document production.
The Department of Justice can appoint or designate a special prosecutor to assist with or conduct particular investigations.
high
procedural
Special prosecutors are sometimes used to handle sensitive or potentially conflicted matters within the DOJ.
Mortgage-fraud investigations can involve interactions or information-sharing between federal law enforcement (such as the Department of Justice) and housing regulators (such as the Federal Housing Finance Agency).
high
process
Complex financial investigations often cross agency jurisdictions and may require coordination between enforcement and regulatory bodies.
A presidential commutation reduces or cancels a criminal sentence, and under U.S. practice a commutation is generally final and cannot be fully reversed by a subsequent administration.
high
legal
Commutation is a form of executive clemency distinct from a pardon; it alters the sentence but does not expunge the conviction and is not typically subject to reversal by later presidents.
The U.S. Department of Justice establishes conditions of confinement for federal inmates based on assessments of security risks, criminal histories, and other relevant considerations.
high
policy
General DOJ practice for determining confinement conditions.
The U.S. Constitution and federal law allocate appointment authority for U.S. attorneys by giving the President the power to nominate U.S. attorneys and giving the Senate the role of advising on and confirming those nominations.
high
legal
Describes the constitutional and statutory allocation of appointment and confirmation roles for U.S. attorneys.
Federal law permits temporary appointments of U.S. attorneys that expire after 120 days, after which additional statutory procedures apply to fill the vacancy.
high
legal
Describes the duration and limited nature of certain interim U.S. attorney appointments under federal law.