Craig Lawyer Courts Public Opinion, Too

(AP) - Disgraced money manager Bernard Madoff emerged from seclusion today to confront a potential conflict of interest in his massive fraud case: a $900,000 investment by his lawyer's sons. Prosecutors asked the judge to rule on the conflict to clear the way for another highly anticipated proceeding Thursday, when Madoff is expected to avoid going to trial by pleading guilty in perhaps the largest securities fraud case in history. More»

Ex-official says guv fired him for refusing to fire her rogue in-law

(NEWSER) - A private-sector lawyer is making the unusual move of defending Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her office in a state investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner, the Anchorage Daily News reports. But the lawyer's request for witness statements and other materials was immediately shot down —"It would be highly unusual for an investigator to share information with one of the targets of the investigation," said the former prosecutor heading the probe. More»

State hall of fame will induct senator despite protest from local GOP

(NEWSER) - The kerfuffle over Larry Craig's arrest and guilty plea won't keep him from entering the Idaho Hall of Fame next weekend, over the protest of local Republicans. "Maybe in 10 or 15 years we can think of this hall of fame stuff. Now is not the time," says a local pol. "It's a sad day to be a Republican." But organizers say they voted Craig in before his arrest and want to applaud the work he's done. More»

Judge denies Idaho senator's request

(NEWSER) - A Minnesota judge today rejected Sen. Larry Craig's attempt to rescind his guilty plea in a June men's bathroom sex sting, saying it had been entered "accurately, voluntarily, and intelligently," CNN reports. There was no immediate response from the Idaho Republican, who had said he would resign if he was unable to withdraw the plea by the end of September. More»

GOP leaders react grimly as Craig prolongs the effort to retract his guilty plea

(NEWSER) - GOP leaders listened in icy silence as Larry Craig vowed today to stay a senator while trying to change his guilty plea, the AP reports. A Minnesota judge says he will decide the matter sometime next month. "Today was a major step in the legal effort to clear my name," Craig said. But his lawyer admits that the effort to withdraw his plea is "near impossible, and it should be." More»