The Office of the Inspector General has released its final report on the removal of nine U.S. attorneys from the Department of Justice.

The 392-page report can be downloaded here.

This morning, the New York Times reported:

[O]fficials with knowledge of the inspector general's investigation and defense lawyers who have been involved in it said they did not expect that the investigation would recommend that criminal charges be pursued at this point against Mr. Gonzales or other officials. The report was expected to recommend that investigators continue to pursue some elements of the case, meaning that the legal questions around Mr. Gonzales would continue.

Enjoy your hard working tax dollars.

An Investigation into the Removal of Nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 (.pdf) [DOJ]
No Charges Expected in Dismissal of Attorneys [New York Times]

As we expected, celebrity professors Cass Sunstein and Samatha Power were the winners of last week's July Couple of the Month voting, running away with over 60 percent of the vote. Congratulations to this nerdy-hot duo!

This week's set of contestants might be the strongest we've seen this season. Their write-ups feature five Harvard degrees, a Rhodes, and one of Biglaw's most exalted surnames. Here are the names of the newlyweds:

1. Geneviève Treuille and Daniel Wachtell

2. Melissa Langsam and Todd Braunstein

3. Amanda Schwoerke and Stephen Sachs

Read more about these couples -- and see their pictures -- after the jump.

In this video clip, Stephen Colbert observes that "you can't blame all the problems of the past seven years on Monica Goodling." But that won't stop some people from trying.

To be sure, Monica Goodling has made mistakes -- and she's the first to admit them. She forthrightly acknowledged, when testifying before Congress, that she "crossed the line," by taking political considerations into account when hiring career employees at the Department of Justice.

But has the Goodling Blame Game gone too far? Has she become the new Karl Rove, responsible for everything from DOJ politicization to childhood obesity to the war between Russia and Georgia?

Quite possibly. Read more, after the jump.

The annual meeting of the American Bar Association (ABA) is in full swing. We haven't been able to make it over there, but luckily we have tipsters on the ground.

This morning, Attorney General Michael Mukasey addressed the conference. From an attendee:

I am sitting in the ABA House of Delegates right now, and Mukasey just admitted that "the system failed" [with respect to Department of Justice hiring practices].

He is addressing these issues head on.

A more detailed account, from the AP:

Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Tuesday said former Justice Department officials will not face prosecution for letting improper political considerations drive hirings of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers.

Mukasey used his sharpest words yet to criticize the senior leaders who took part in or failed to stop illegal hiring practices during the tenure of his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales.

But, he told delegates to the American Bar Association annual meeting, "not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime. In this instance, the two joint reports found only violations of the civil service laws."

Sounds wise to us. To those of you who say Mukasey is just protecting his own, it's worth noting that (1) he's not exactly a political hack (he was a sitting judge for some 20 years before becoming AG), and (2) lately the DOJ hasn't been shy about going after Republicans. E.g., Senator Ted Stevens (R - Alaska).

Perhaps some of you disagree? Feel free to sound off, in the comments.

Mukasey: No prosecutions in Justice hiring scandal [AP via Yahoo! News]
DOJ Has Cleaned House, Mukasey Tells ABA [ABA Journal]

Thanks to the Inspector General's report shedding full light on the DOJ's politicized hiring, Monica Goodling and company have become "stars" outside of the legal insider world. Welcome to Comedy Central, Monica Goodling! Jon Stewart sets his sights on the hiring scandal and ATL's favorite DOJ diva in this "news report:"

Click to the 2:50 mark for a classic Goodling moment.

The fact that the link was sent to us by a senior producer at Comedy Central, whose wife is an ATL fan, made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. We're suckers for acceptance from the MSM-ish types.

Illegally Blonde [The Daily Show]

Earlier: Soon To Be Breaking: Inspector General's Monica Goodling Report

We hear that the Justice Department's special report on our favorite DOJ diva, Monica Goodling, will be coming out later today -- in fact, later this morning. Perhaps within 15 minutes or so, give or take....

Stay tuned. We'll update this space with more as it emerges.

Update (10:08 AM): As we predicted, the report of the Office of the Inspector General, "An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring by Monica Goodling and Other Staff in the Office of the Attorney General," has been released. To access it, click here (PDF).

We haven't head the chance to read it yet (since we're juggling several stories this morning). If you take a look at the report, please feel free to point out the most interesting portions, in the comments.

Further Update: More from NPR, the AP, and the WSJ Law Blog.

Justice Dept.'s Hiring Tactics Illegal, Report Says [National Public Radio]
DOJ: Former aide broke law in hiring scandal [Associated Press]
Who's to Blame for GonzoGate? DOJ Report Points to Goodling [WSJ Law Blog]

We mentioned this story in passing a few times. But we probably should have given it a more prominent place in these pages, since it involves one of our favorite legal celebrities: the high-powered Monica Goodling, who held top positions at the U.S. Department of Justice, and who came to prominence during the U.S. Attorney firing controversy.

Here's an update, from NPR:

The Justice Department's inspector general confirmed Tuesday that he is looking into whether a department lawyer was dismissed over a rumor that she is a lesbian.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Hagen was informed in 2006 that her contract working on Indian affairs in the Justice Department's Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys would not be renewed for a second year -- despite receiving the highest possible performance reviews....

Glenn Fine of the Inspector General's Office and H. Marshall Jarrett of the Office of Professional Responsibility said they are looking into whether Hagen was "discriminated against in employment decisions on the basis of alleged sexual orientation or other improper factors."

Some claim that Hagen had "a Monica problem" -- i.e., that she was not in favor with the powerful Goodling, due to these sapphic whisperings.

Now, if the allegation were that Monica Goodling fired a DOJ lawyer because of a rumor that he might be gay, we'd dismiss it out of hand. In light of her overall fabulosity, as well as her status as "a survivor" -- someone who has successfully weathered serious political storms, while still looking poised, polished, and perfect -- Goodling will be hailed as an icon by future generations of gay male lawyers.

But this allegation involves a rumor that a lawyer was a lesbian. That's a whole different kettle of fish. So we'll wait and see what the DOJ probe reveals.

Justice Inquiry Centers on Dismissal, Gay Rumors [NPR]
Confirmed: DoJ Investigators Probing Whether Goodling Fired Lawyer Due to Gay Rumors [TPM Muckraker]

Make that a Post-script -- a shout-out in the Washington Post, for both the happy couple and ATL. From the WaPo's delicious Reliable Source column (which has new details about the Goodling/Krempasky engagement, including their ages and the story of their courtship):

Engaged: Monica Goodling, 34, the former Alberto Gonzales adviser, to Michael Krempasky, 33, a top PR guy at Edelman and founding blogger with RedState.com.

The betrothal of the Pennsylvania natives (first reported by the legal blog AboveTheLaw.com) proves that even a congressional subpoena can have a happy ending: The two dated just after college, then lost touch for a decade -- until he saw her name last spring in the front-page stories about the controversial firings of several U.S. attorneys, and called to wish her well. He surprised her with a Valentine's Day proposal at the same restaurant where they spent V-Day 12 years ago; no date set.

It's a quintessential D.C. romance: congressional testimony leading to a love connection!

Additional commentary appears at Wonkette, TPM Muckraker, and Jezebel (among others).

Love, Etc. [The Reliable Source / Washington Post]

Earlier: Breaking: Monica Goodling Is Engaged!

This just in: the super-fabulous Monica Goodling, one of ATL's all-time favorite people, is engaged!

Monica Marie Goodling, of Alexandria, is engaged to be married to Michael Krempasky, of Falls Church. The wedding is planned for later this year.

The future bride, a consultant, previously served as senior counsel to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Justice. She graduated cum laude from Messiah College and received J.D. and M.A. degrees from Regent University.

Mr. Krempasky is a senior vice president at Edelman, a full-service, global public relations firm. He is also a founder of RedState, a leading conservative blog.

Although Monica Goodling and Mike Krempasky are a "power couple" here in Washington, their story goes back more than a decade and originates outside the Beltway. Look for more details later, either in these pages or elsewhere (e.g., their official engagement or wedding announcement).

Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple! Full-size engagement photographs, exclusive to ATL, appear after the jump.

Part of a blogger’s job description is to shamelessly rip off stuff from the mainstream media. So we’re going to follow in the footsteps of the ABA Journal and the WSJ Law Blog, and name ATL’s first annual Lawyer of the Year. (Of course, it's not that original an idea to begin with, insofar as it's inspired by Time magazine's Person of the Year.)

The WSJ crew is still accepting nominations, so we don’t know the identity of their pick. But the ABA Journal’s honoree for 2007, Alberto Gonzales, has generated some controversy. The Journal's editor and publisher, Edward A. Adams, explained the pick to the Washington Post: "It's about who has had the most effect in the world of lawyers this year. We're not saying Gonzales is good or bad. We're just saying this is the leading newsmaker in our part of the world."

Additional discussion, plus how to submit your nomination for ATL's Lawyer of the Year, after the jump.

Of all the characters in the U.S. Attorney firings drama, Kyle Sampson, former chief of staff to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, was not our favorite. When he testified on Capitol Hill, he was earnest, sweaty, and decidedly non-fabulous -- unlike Monica Goodling, who took the Senate Judiciary Committee by storm with a dazzling performance.

But even though his government service ended inauspiciously, Sampson has done just fine for himself. From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Three Washington lawyers with Utah ties - including the chief of staff to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales - are joining the food and drug practice at the firm Hunton & Williams.

D. Kyle Sampson, a Cedar City native, was Gonzales' chief of staff at the Justice Department until he resigned amid a controversy over the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys, a move that spawned congressional investigations. Sampson, who compiled the list of attorneys who were fired, testified for hours before House and Senate committees in public hearings and private interviews.

Before joining the Justice Department he was an Associate Counsel to the President at the White House, was director of personnel for the Bush administration, and was an aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch on the Judiciary Committee. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Chicago University law school.

We wonder if the Mormon Mafia had a hand in his hiring. They are to the legal world what the Gay Mafia is to fashion!

Sampson, ex-aide to Gonzales, joins law firm [Salt Lake Tribune]

In case you haven't noticed, we've been experiencing technical difficulties around here (due to unusually high site traffic today). We've actually been trying to post new material for a while, but without success until now. Tech folks are investigating the problems, and hopefully things will return to normal shortly.

We're now pleased to bring the second half of our interview with Adam Key, the Regent Law School second-year student who has found himself in a bit of hot water. Background on the controversy, a free-speech dispute between Key and the Regent administration, is available here and here.

The first part of our interview with Adam Key is accessible here. The balance of the interview -- in which Adam Key reveals his professional wrestling nickname, talks about his new book, and discusses his Regent sister, Monica Goodling -- appears after the jump.

The most famous student or graduate of Regent University School of Law, the conservative law school founded by the American televangelist Pat Robertson, is probably the fabulous Monica Goodling. If you're on Facebook, you can join her fan club here.

But a husky, heavily tattooed freak-show 2L is giving La Goodling a run for her money. From the Virginian-Pilot:

Regent University officials have threatened to discipline a law student for posting on his Facebook page an unflattering photo of Regent President Pat Robertson.

The student, Adam M. Key, defended his action as constitutionally protected free speech in a 14-page legal brief he presented to the dean of the law school.

Regent officials gave Key two choices: publicly apologize for posting the picture and refrain from commenting about the matter in a “public medium,” or write a brief defending the posting. He faces punishment that could include expulsion.

Key, a second-year law student, said he refused to apologize and “be muzzled” by the university, so he composed the document, which includes citations from noted First Amendment cases.

More after the jump.

It's a Friday afternoon in June. Of course it couldn't pass without a high-profile resignation. From WRAL:

Mike Nifong made the announcement at the end of his testimony Friday at his State Bar ethics trial to the surprise of the families and defense attorneys of the cleared lacrosse players.

"Throughout the years I have served as a prosecutor I have always tried to do the right thing," a tearful Nifong said. "In this case, I was trying to todo the right thing. Much of the criticism directed to me in the is case is justified. The allegations that I'm a liar, however, are not justified."

But is Michael Nifong... a plagiarist?

(No, of course we're not serious. We just like to connect every story to Monica Goodling.)

Embattled DA Mike Nifong Resigns [WRAL.com via Drudge Report]

Department of Justice official Brad Schlozman -- who currently serves as Associate Counsel to the Director, in the Executive Office for United States Attorneys -- is about to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. His testimony is part of a panel entitled "Preserving Prosecutorial Independence: Is the Department of Justice Politicizing the Hiring and Firing of U.S. Attorneys?"

Maybe we'll tune in, at least for a few minutes; but we don't expect to watch the entire proceedings. Brad Schlozman is no Monica Goodling. And we can barely pronounce his last name.

On Friday night, in preparation for today's session, the DOJ's Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) sent the Republican members of the committee a list of proposed "softball" or friendly questions for Schlozman. This question caught our eye:

Clevenger, you may recall, has raised allegations about the politicization of hiring at Main Justice. But he may be best known to ATL readers as a source for stories about that delicious DOJ diva, Shanetta Cutlar (about whom we've heard nothing new, sadly).

By the way, in case you're wondering, question #5 wasn't well-received by GOP staffers on Capitol Hill. We hear that the Republican staffers "are offended that DOJ expects them to do its political dirty work."

As you could probably tell from the results thus far in our reader polls, Georgia lawyer Andrew Speaker -- the patient with drug-resistant tuberculosis, who engaged in extensive air travel despite knowing of his condition -- hasn't exactly endeared himself to the world.

If you run a search for "Andrew Speaker" on Facebook, here's what you get:

We don't endorse what Andy Speaker did; but we find these anti-Andy clubs a bit over-the-top. If you're going to join a Facebook group centered on a specific individual, why not join one that's about celebration rather than condemnation?

Search: Andrew Speaker [Facebook]
Monica Goodling Fan Club [Facebook]

Those of you who read our extensive liveblogging of Monica Goodling's testimony on Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee know how deeply impressed we were.

Goodling was poised, intelligent, and articulate. She showed flashes of wit, as well as consistent honesty and forthrightness. She looked like a million bucks.

On a scale of 0 to 10, we'd score Monica Goodling's performance on Capitol Hill as a 9.3. It wasn't a perfect 10; Rep. Artur Davis landed a few punches in the eleventh round. But Monica "Hurts So" Goodling ultimately emerged victorious from the boxing ring of the Rayburn House Office Building, with barely a glove laid on her.

We weren't alone in our assessment. Distinguished legal commentators, including law professors like Orin Kerr and Adam Gershowitz, also raved over La Goodling's star turn.

And this morning, via Howard Bashman, we come across more praise of Goodling, from an unlikely source. Check out this great online essay (registration required), by Eve Fairbanks of The New Republic -- no bastion of conservatism.

Discussion continues after the jump.

We have to step away from our computer now, to go meet our running group. We are training for the New York City marathon. If you'd like to support our efforts with a tax-deductible donation to fund cancer research, which is almost as worthy a cause as the Monica Goodling Legal Defense Fund, please click here.

This means we're going to miss the last ten minutes or so of Monica Goodling's testimony. If anything insane happens, please note it in the comments, or email us.

Also, we're not the only ones who were impressed by Goodling's performance today. Distinguished legal analysts concur in our assessment that La Monica acquitted herself very well before the House Judiciary Committee.

By way of example, check out these posts at two leading law blogs:

1. Monica Goodling's Testimony [Volokh Conspiracy (Prof. Orin Kerr)]

2. Rounding Out My Monica Goodling Obsession [PrawfsBlawg (Prof. Adam Gershowitz)]

Sorry, Monica haters. The experts have weighed in. You lose.

Have a nice day!

BREAKING: Is the cool and collected Monica Goodling starting to crack, under the persistent and probing questioning of Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)? Details after the jump (around the 3:25 mark).

3:08: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) employs a too-clever-by-half strategy to try and get Monica Goodling to say that Alberto Gonzales should be fired. It falls flat.

3:12: Rep. Artur Davis asks Goodling specific questions about whether she believes various statements by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the firings were incorrect. He gets her to admit, multiple times, that the Attorney General's statements were inaccurate. Sometimes the simplest questions are best.

3:14: Oooh, Rep. Davis is definitely making inroads. John Dowd objects and asks to see the AG testimony being referenced. Rep. Davis slaps Dowd: "As I recall, you are not a participant in these proceedings."

Rep. Lungren (R-CA), clearly disturbed by the points that Davis is scoring, protests through a point of order. The Chair -- Sheila Jackson Lee, filling in for John Conyers -- overrules the point of order.

3:15: Rep. Lungren appeals the ruling of the chair. He is smacked down.

WOW, this is DEFINITELY heating up. More after the jump.

If congressional testimony over the U.S. Attorney firings were American Idol:

Alberto Gonzales = Sanjaya Malakar

D. Kyle Sampson = Blake Lewis

Monica Goodling = Jordin Sparks

Goodling is, far and away, the best Department of Justice witness to appear before Congress on the U.S. Attorney firings thus far. If one were to compare her performance to that of Kyle Sampson or Alberto Gonzales, we'd paraphrase what Simon Cowell said last night to Jordin Sparks: "You wiped the floor with him."

BREAKING: Monica Goodling is paying her own legal bills -- and will be establishing a legal defense fund. YAY!!!

More discussion -- including a blow-by-blow account of the hearing, which is back underway -- after the jump.