MSNBC and NBC report that the CIA has asked the Justice Department to open an investigation of the White House regarding leaks in the Valerie Plame case:

The CIA has asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations that the White House broke federal laws by revealing the identity of one of its undercover employees in retaliation against the woman's husband, a former ambassador who publicly criticized President Bush's since-discredited claim that Iraq had sought weapons-grade uranium from Africa, NBC News has learned.

Josh Marshall at TalkingPointsMemo and Mark Kleiman has been covering the story since the beginning. Steve Perry's Bush Wars has a lot of related links.

Just in via email from some Houston and Virginia lawyers that specialize in driving under the influence cases:

Stabilizing blood sugar levels is an everyday problem for many Americans. For those who endure the various problems of errors in metabolism, ranging from diabetes to hypoglycemia, the condition often can be not only a medical
one but also a legal one.

As states enforce ever more stringent DUI legislation, an increasingly frequent occurrence for many with blood sugar problems has been to be unjustly charged with a crime that can have long-lasting effects on their lives and careers.

They have written a new article, available free here, that says science shows that plunges and spikes in blood sugar levels can mimic the effect of drinking and driving. If you or someone you care about is in that category, you might want to give it a read. [link fixed]

We're haven't read it so we can't endorse or slam it, but its something worth reading because these cases happen more often than you might think.

If you do read it, we hope you will report back on what you think of the arguments and whether they are likely to be accepted by a court.

Now that Bush realizes the U.N. and other nations won't be joining us in Iraq, he's called up another 10,000 for duty. Another 5,000 are on alert to be called.

We think Dean and Kerry got it right this week when they called on Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz to resign. Their reasons: deceiving the country in their statements on Iraq and inadequate planning for the post-war program. [link fixed]

It's Bill O'Reilly Day around the blogosphere with many bloggers writing as O'Reilly today. Atrios has outdone himself. Don't miss it.

The Chicago Sun Times criticizes Attorney General John Ashcroft for his recent memos to Prosecutors reducing their ability to plea bargain and directing them to report Judges who grant downward departures in sentencings contrary to the Government's wishes:

Americans like to be tough on crime. That's why we have a higher percentage of our population in prison than anywhere else in the world. But we also have a lot of respect for our judges and federal prosecutors. Which is why it hurts to see this Cotton Mather who is running the Justice Department keep trying to chain them to a reflexive punitiveness that would shut down the system.

Good news: South Dakota is putting the kabosh on its juvenile boot camps program. The state is moving to a system of family counseling and individual treatment.

South Dakota's controversial boot camp, created by former Gov. Bill Janklow at Custer, is being renamed and its program emphasis shifted from a military regimen to individual treatment and family counseling, state corrections officials said Thursday.

..."The changes are reflective of Governor Rounds' vision for juvenile corrections," Reisch said. "He is absolutely committed to providing the highest quality of care for all youth committed to us."

Juvenile programs should promote rehabilitation. Many of the boot camp programs are overly punitive.

Another welcome change in the state is on its way:

Kudos to the Alabama Legislature which passed a bill making it easier for ex-felons to restore their voting rights. The bill also accelerates parole by granting some inmates early release. Lawyer Ed Still is on top of the legislation over at VoteLaw. Today he reports the Governor has signed the legislation--it is now law.

For background on why felony disenfranchisement is unfair, start here.

Hesiod of Counterspin reports scary news in the case of Senior Airman Ahmad I. al-Halabi, being held on 32 charges:

....Brig. Gen. Bradley S. Baker, the commander of al-Halabi's unit, has not decided whether al-Halabi will be tried by court-martial or, if he is convicted, face a possible death sentence.

While at Guantanamo Bay, al-Halabi "made statements criticizing United States policy with regard to the detainees and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East," Wega wrote. The agent wrote that al-Halabi also "expressed sympathy for and has had unauthorized contact with the detainees."

Hesiod also reports that one of the charges against al-Halabi has already been proven false. Go read.

John Wesley Hall, author of the legal text book Search and Seizure (3rd Ed. 2000), who monitors new fourth amendment cases daily over at FourthAmendment.com (a free site with online supplements to his book) writes of a quirky Nebraska decision. A minor is stopped for a traffic offense and then asked for consent to search. The Court holds the consent is valid because the juvenile was free to go even though he was never told so. The case is In re Clinton G. (2003) 12 Neb App 178, 2003 Neb App Lexis 253.

This court finds that a minor would know he was free to go because of prior case law which he was expected to be on notice of; what a crock. This case is so off the wall that I shouldn't even include it in the Book Updates except that Nebraskans need to know that they are in a police state.

Did you fly Jet Blue before September, 2002? Then there may be a file on you and the ACLU says you're entitled to a copy.

If you flew on JetBlue before September 2002, a file containing a variety of personal information about you may have been created by a Department of Defense subcontractor called Torch Concepts. On this page you will find information about what kind of information may be in your dossier, and how you can find out.

Here's the ACLU's FOIA form you can fill out and send online to the Pentagon and TSA.

The Total Information Awareness Program(TIA) is no more! Congress passed a bill Thursday dismantling the program and the office.

The House vote Wednesday was 407-15. The Senate voted to pass it Thursday, 95 to 0.

Under the legislation, TIA -- which had been housed in the Pentagon -- would be shut down and the government forbidden from using the technology envisioned by TIA in any other successor program.

....Had it been implemented, the ACLU said TIA would have used data-mining technology to sift through vast amounts of personal transactional data in the unproven hope of discerning obscure patterns that would suggest terrorist activity is intended or ongoing. The ACLU said that this approach would not only violate privacy, but would make all Americans terrorism suspects as the system would have scoured credit card purchases, travel records, financial statements and even Internet viewing habits.

The ACLU also reminds us to remain vigilant:

The bill, however, does authorize a separate, classified program for “processing, analysis, and collaboration tools for counter terrorism foreign intelligence” but the legislation prohibits its domestic use against Americans. “While TIA may be dead and buried,” Edgar added, “we must remain on a constant lookout for other super-snoop programs.”

Patriot Watch congratulates Sen. Ron Wyden and links to this press release from his office.

Attorney General John Ashcroft is avoiding print reporters on his Patriot Act tour. What's he afraid of? Or is he just a paranoid conspiracy theorist at heart? Columbia University Journalism professor Todd Gitlin and Department Chair Jay Rosen suggest the latter:

Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, who is continuing his tour of the country to promote the Patriot Act, has at several stops, including Buffalo and Philadelphia, refused to speak to print reporters. While television correspondents can often breeze right in, their newspaper colleagues are kept at bay by Secret Service agents doing the bidding of the nation's chief law enforcement official, who prefers audiences of handpicked enthusiasts and interviews with local television reporters.

According to Justice Department spokeswoman Barbara Comstock, Ashcroft wants to explain "key facts directly to the American people" and not have to subject himself to "as much of a filter from people who are already invested in having a different view of it."