As part of Attorney General Eric Holder’s call for cost-cutting measures to streamline operations and reduce spending during a time of constrained funding, the Department of Justice today announced that it will realign functions in various offices, lower lease costs by consolidating or reducing office space and continue to look for ways to more effectively utilize the department’s resources.

Attorney General Eric Holder today joined Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Bernard Melekian to announce more than $15 million in grant awards to agencies in Ohio through the 2011 COPS Hiring Program.

The Justice Department announced a settlement today with Lorain County, Ohio, to protect the rights of Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican voters under Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act.

The Department of Justice issued a statement today after the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued its order involving US Airways’ and Delta Airlines’ acquisition of slots at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Pelican Refining Company LLC, pleaded guilty today to felony violations of the Clean Air Act and to obstruction of justice charges in federal court in Lafayette, La.

Today at the national conference of the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli announced the establishment of the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with the Board of Education of Berkeley School District 87 in Berkeley, Ill. that, if approved by the court, will resolve a religious accommodations lawsuit filed in December 2010.

"That’s why, today, I am proud to announce a series of grants to organizations that offer mentoring programs specifically targeting children with a parent in the military," said Attorney General Holder.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has ordered that Jo Ann Scott be permanently enjoined from using force, threat of force or physically obstructing any person because that person is or has been obtaining or providing reproductive health services.

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission today issued the final version of a joint policy statement detailing how the agencies will enforce U.S. antitrust laws with respect to new Accountable Care Organizations.

"This evening, as we reflect on the impact and importance of this organization – we have many reasons to be proud, and to be encouraged about the days ahead," said Attorney General Holder.

The United States has sued Rodney Chestnut and Nafeesah Hines to bar them from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme.

The Department of Justice today reached a settlement with Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V., BBU Inc. and the Sara Lee Corporation that requires them to divest brands of sliced fresh bread and associated assets, in order to proceed with Grupo Bimbo and BBU’s acquisition of Sara Lee’s North American Fresh Bakery business.

"The Access to Justice office represents an unprecedented commitment by this Administration to addressing our indigent defense system, to growing pro bono service opportunities, and – ultimately – to strengthening our entire legal system," said Senior Counselor Mark Childress.

The U.S. government has filed civil forfeiture complaints against approximately $70.8 million in real and personal property, which the government alleges is the proceeds of foreign corruption offenses and was laundered in the United States.

The Justice Department announced today a lawsuit against the manager and owner of the Geneva Terrace Apartments in La Crosse, Wisc., alleging discrimination against African-Americans who were seeking to rent apartments at the complex.

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit today against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections alleging that it violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by failing to retroactively promote a U.S. Army Reservist based on his successful performance on a make-up promotional examination after he returned from a military deployment.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with James J. Williams Bulk Service Transport Inc. (JJW), its parent company Trans-System Inc. and System TWT Transportation Inc. alleging that the companies violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) by failing to promptly and properly reemploy U.S. Air Force reservist Dave Axtell in April 2009 when he returned from military service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit alleging that Equity Homes Inc, PBR LLC, BBR LLC and Shane Hartung violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by failing to provide features that would make their multi-family housing developments in Sioux Falls accessible to people with disabilities as required by the Fair Housing Act.

The Department of Justice challenged South Carolina’s recently passed immigration law, Act No. 69, in federal court today.

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans entered the revised settlement agreement reached between the United States and Terrebonne Parish as an order of the court.

The United States has asked a federal court in Detroit to bar Carlos Brown from preparing federal tax returns for others.

“The work we are doing is sending an unmistakable message: that, in this country, we will not give up on our children when it comes to combating youth violence,” Attorney General Eric Holder said.

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the owners of Yorkshire Apartments, Thackeray Ledges and Wales Ridge Apartments in Massillon, Ohio, for discriminating on the basis of race and familial status when renting their apartments in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

Lowe’s, a national hardware store chain, has agreed to settle the Justice Department’s claims alleging that the company violated the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) when it terminated the employment of Matthew King, a U.S. Army Guard member and Iraq War veteran, without just cause.

The Justice Department announced today that the Civil Rights Division will monitor elections on Nov. 8, 2011, in Alameda County, Calif.; Springfield, Mass.; Humphreys, Leflore, Panola and Wilkinson Counties, Miss.; Lorain County, Ohio; and Jasper, Texas.

According to court documents, in January 2011, Ms. Parente used physical force against two volunteer escorts who were accompanying a patient into the Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania Liberty Avenue clinic.

The Department of Justice will require New West Health Services Inc. to sell the majority of its commercial health-insurance business to a third-party buyer and provide additional relief in order to preserve health-insurance competition in Montana.

"As we honor American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage month, we work to build on our continued progress strengthening tribal law enforcement," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a complaint against the city of Pittsfield, Mass., for violating the rights of a U.S. Navy Reservist under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.

First Niagara Bank N.A. and HSBC Bank USA N.A. agreed to sell 26 branch offices in the Buffalo, N.Y., area with approximately $1.6 billion in deposits, to resolve the Justice Department's antitrust concerns from the sale of HSBC’s branch network in upstate New York to First Niagara.

The United States has sued Kenia Marrero seeking to bar her and her business, Kenia Immigration Services, from preparing federal tax returns for others.

The Justice Department announced today that District Court Judge David C. Godbey has granted the request of the department and Dallas County to end court supervision of a lawsuit concerning conditions at the Dallas County Jail.

The Justice Department announced today that, as part of its settlement with BAC Home Loans Servicing LP, a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation, servicemembers whose homes were unlawfully foreclosed upon will each receive a minimum $116,785 plus compensation for any equity lost to compensate them for the bank’s alleged violation of the Servicemember Civil Relief Act.

"The Albert Schweitzer Awards are given in honor of one of the world’s great humanitarians, a man who defined “good” as the preservation and enhancement of life in all its forms. The work that these recipients have done embodies the soul of Schweitzer’s philosophy," said Assistant Attorney General Robinson.

A federal grand jury sitting in Muskogee, Okla., returned an indictment today charging former Bryan County, Okla., Sheriff’s Lieutenant Kevin Bennett Holt, 48, of Achille, Okla., with federal civil rights violations and related acts of obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department announced today that it has opened a civil investigation into allegations of excessive use of deadly force by members of the city of Miami Police Department (MPD), in accordance with the pattern or practice provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owners and managers of 23 rental homes in Magee, Miss., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.

The Justice Department today announced that Roger Harris, Hediger Enterprises Inc., Carroll Management Group, Forum Manor Associates L.P. and Forum Manor LLC have agreed to pay $295,000 in monetary damages and civil penalties to resolve a Fair Housing Act lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, race and sex discrimination, retaliation and intimidation at Forum Manor Apartments, a federally-subsidized apartment complex in Rolla, Missouri.

The Department of Justice today challenged Utah’s immigration law, which comes after recent lawsuits in Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina.

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Upshur County, Texas, to improve access to all aspects of civic life for people with disabilities.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Sharis Pozen of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jon Leibowitz today met with a delegation from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) to discuss antitrust merger enforcement.

The Justice Department announced today the launch of a live webinar series on avoiding workplace discrimination. The webinars coincide with the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which created the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC).

The Justice Department announced today that it is opening civil investigations into two state correctional institutions (SCI) in Western Pennsylvania.

The Antitrust Division obtained extensive information from Google, Admeld and a wide range of market participants in connection with its merger investigation of the proposed transaction. After a thorough review of the evidence, the division concluded that the transaction is not likely to substantially lessen competition in the sale of display advertising.

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today announced its findings that the state of Florida’s oversight system failed to detect and sufficiently address harmful practices at both the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and the Jackson Juvenile Offender Center.

“The tragedy at Upper Big Branch will never be forgotten, and the families affected by it will never be made completely whole again. Today’s agreement represents the largest-ever resolution in a criminal investigation of a mine disaster and will ensure appropriate steps are taken to improve mine safety now and will fund research to enhance mine safety in the future,” said Attorney General Holder.

The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the University of California, San Diego Medical Center, alleging that the medical center discriminated in the employment eligibility verification process against people who are authorized to work in the United States.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has returned a seven-count indictment charging Sanford Ltd. with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit against the owners, developers, architect and civil engineers of Park Place Apartments, a 276-unit complex in Louisville, Ky., resolving allegations that those involved in the design and construction of the complex discriminated against people with disabilities.