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AP Enterprise: Federal sentences still vary widely

A new study shows that federal judges are handing out widely disparate sentences for similar crimes 30 years after Congress tried to create fairer results, but the differences don't line up with the party of the president who appointed the judges, despite any impressions that Republicans or Democrats may be tougher or softer on crime.

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Judges rebuff Justice Dept. in 3 FOIA cases

A judge has ruled that a paper prepared during free trade negotiations can't be kept secret, a rare court order to reveal a classified document and one of three significant losses the Justice Department has suffered recently over open records.

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Judge tosses case against Sri Lanka's president

A U.S. judge threw out a lawsuit Wednesday against Sri Lanka's president over killings allegedly carried out by his forces during the country's ethnic civil war.

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Iranian opposition asks for appeals court action

An Iranian opposition group on Monday asked a federal appeals court to order its removal from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations and says the status is putting its members long exiled in Iraq at risk.

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Justice gives up sting case over foreign bribes

In an embarrassing setback, the Justice Department gave up Tuesday on its high-profile prosecution of nearly two dozen businessmen charged in the first undercover sting the government used to enforce a 35-year-old law against foreign bribery.

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Ex-Senate aide gets jail for steak knife incident

A former aide to Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran convicted in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal must spend 15 weekends in jail after getting kicked out of her halfway house for bringing in a steak knife.

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Appeals court says Gitmo suicide suit not allowed

An appellate court ruled Tuesday that the families of two Guantanamo detainees who the government says hanged themselves in their cells cannot sue for damages in U.S. courts.

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Computer salesman get 18 months for sales to Iran

The owner of an electronic wholesale business has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison for selling computers to Iran without obtaining licenses from the U.S. government.

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Holder won't defend limit on gay military benefits

The Obama administration is extending its decision to stop defending an anti-gay marriage law to provisions affecting same-sex couples in the military.

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US Capitol bomb plot arrest capped yearlong probe

Within the last week, authorities say, Amine El Khalifi's plan to wreak havoc was proceeding as hoped: An al-Qaida associate handed him an automatic weapon to kill security officers inside the U.S. Capitol. A bomb-laden vest would detonate the building. He would die as a martyr.

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Judge releases Hastings from harassment lawsuit

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former aide to Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings should only continue against the Helsinki Commission that he chaired and released the congressman from personal liability in the case.

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Judge: DEA must explain Fla. shipment suspension

A federal judge on Monday ordered the Drug Enforcement Administration to explain its rationale for trying to shut down a Florida pharmaceutical distribution center.

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Death row inmates sue to stop drug importation

Death row inmates are suing to stop the importation of a drug used in executions.

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Judge refuses to seal probe of Stevens prosecutors

A federal judge on Wednesday rejected arguments from four attorneys who prosecuted the late Sen. Ted Stevens to keep private a report that reveals details of their mishandling of the case, but said he will not hold them criminally responsible for their "ill-gotten verdict."

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Appeals court: Seniors can't reject Medicare right

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that seniors who receive Social Security cannot reject their legal right to Medicare benefits, in a rare case of Americans suing to get out of a government entitlement.

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Suit says FDA monitored staffers' private email

Current and former Food and Drug Administration officials say in a lawsuit that the agency secretly monitored their private email after they raised concerns that approved medical devices might risk public safety.

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Japanese auto suppliers to pay price-fixing fine

Two Japanese auto suppliers have agreed to pay more than half a billion dollars in criminal fines for a price-fixing conspiracy in the sale of parts to U.S. automakers, the Justice Department announced Monday.

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US asks for time to try ICE agent shooting suspect

Prosecutors are asking for extra time to coordinate with Mexican authorities before heading to trial against an accused Zeta drug cartel member charged in the shooting of two U.S. agents.

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Appeals court rejects appeal by Abramoff partner

An appeals court says it cannot reduce a $20 million restitution order against the public relations consultant who partnered with lobbyist Jack Abramoff to bilk Indian tribes out of millions in inflated fees.

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Appeals court hears challenge to Voting Rights Act

Appeals court judges expressed concern Thursday about whether to overrule Congress' determination that some southern states and other jurisdictions still must have federal election monitoring to protect minority voting rights.

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Ex-Senate aide faces jail for violating probation

A former aide to Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran convicted in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal is facing 10 weekends in jail after bringing a steak knife to a halfway house.

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Agent loses appeal over accidental shooting video

A federal agent who accidentally shot himself while lecturing children on gun safety lost his appeal Tuesday in a lawsuit over release of the video that subjected him to ridicule on the Internet and late-night talk shows.

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Judge rejects denial of FOIA request in Young case

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the Justice Department's refusal to turn over records of its criminal investigation into Rep. Don Young's handling of a Florida highway project, including its decision not to charge the congressman.

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US argues it is immune from STD experiment lawsuit

The Obama administration argued Monday that Guatemalans unknowingly exposed to sexually transmitted diseases by U.S. researchers in the 1940s cannot sue the United States, no matter how shameful and unethical the studies were.

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Suspect in immigration agent killing held in US

An alleged Mexican drug cartel member was arraigned in U.S. federal court Wednesday on murder charges from the roadside ambush of two U.S. immigration agents working south of the border.

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