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A scandal over the botched gun-trafficking operation intensified on Capitol Hill this week. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has called for an independent investigation into whether Attorney General Eric Holder misled Congress. Another Republican has called on Holder to resign.

The Obama administration opposes a bipartisan Senate compromise — to the frustration of some of its usual allies. The White House says provisions in the defense bill would tie its hands when it comes to handling some terrorism cases.

Attorney General Eric Holder told relatives of people who died in the Sept. 11 attacks that a preliminary criminal investigation into the allegations had been opened. But even if the hacking took place on U.S. soil, investigators could run into trouble with the statute of limitations.

The Obama Justice Department has been taking a more aggressive approach against people who block access to abortion clinics, using a 1994 law to bring cases in greater numbers than George W. Bush did. Some believe the stepped-up enforcement has put a damper on clinic violence.

The Justice Department is reviewing its lethal injection protocols because of a shortage of a key drug. Authorities are also less likely to seek the death penalty for murderers of drug dealers. In a trend that's moved from the states to the federal level, things are getting quiet on death row.

Republican congressional investigators found weapons traced to a failed U.S. law enforcement operation that sought to take down violent Mexican drug cartels have been recovered at more than 48 different sites in Mexico. The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee holds a hearing Tuesday on the matter.

The White House has taken some heat for its slow pace in nominating federal judges. But the administration has quietly pursued candidates who are far more diverse in terms of race, gender and sexual orientation than any of its predecessors, a move praised by many. But that strategy may have a cost.

In a Virginia courthouse Friday, former CIA official John Kiriakou is expected to plead not guilty to violating the Espionage Act by sharing information with reporters. But some critics say his prosecution has more to do with his public comments about waterboarding than with damage to national security.

By a 5-3 majority, the court ruled that people who sue the government for invading their privacy can only recover out-of-pocket damages. And whistle-blowers' lawyers say that leaves victims who suffer emotional trouble and smeared reputations with few if any options.

GOP Sen. Charles Grassley has floated legislation that would cut three seats from the important D.C. Circuit appeals court — just as President Obama prepares to announce his nominees for those jobs. The court is now evenly balanced with four appointees each from Republican and Democratic presidents.