Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, told the Times Giuliani's association with the law firm could cost him votes.

From clean air to mercury pollution to global warming policies, Giuliani's firm has been perhaps the most anti-environment voice in Washington, representing some of the biggest corporate polluters, Karpinski said.

Publicly however, Giuliani has advocated increased use of nuclear power, natural gas, Alaskan oil drilling and ethanol to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil, the report said.

Continuing its steady growth, Bingham McCutchen LLP has acquired Alschuler Grossman LLP, a 40-lawyer Los Angeles firm, bringing Bingham's head count to nearly 1,000 lawyers.

The Boston-based firm is merging with Alschuler Grossman LLP, a 40-lawyer outfit known for litigation. It will be Bingham's eighth acquisition since 1997 and its third in California since 2002. Bingham McCutchen now has 350 lawyers in California and nearly 1,000 worldwide.

Alschuler Grossman, which also handles real estate, real estate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property work, successfully represented Arthur Andersen LLP in a $1.3 billion class action securities lawsuit filed in Arizona state court. It currently represents Grupo Televisa S.A. in its battles with Univision Communications Inc. and is defending Blockbuster Inc. from a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Netflix Inc.

Bingham's clients include Oracle Corp., Bank of America N.A., Boston Scientific Corp.
http://www.bingham.com

An early version of the March order had authorized the officials to act without even having to consult the Attorney General, but the wording of the instrument was later revised at the urging of the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel, which was concerned about the constitutionality of such broad-brush delegation of power. An unnamed "senior executive branch official" quoted by the National Journal said of the order that it was "an attempt to make the department more responsive to the political side of the White House and to do it in such a way that people would not know it was going on." Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) expressed similar concern over the root strategy apparently reflected in the order, saying in a statement Monday:

This development is highly troubling in what it seems to reveal about White House politicization of key appointees in the Department of Justice. The mass firing of U.S. attorneys appeared to be part of a systematic scheme to inject political influence into the hiring and firing decisions of key justice employees. This secret order would seem to be evidence of an effort to hardwire control over law enforcement by White House political operatives.

Leahy called for the order and its supporting materials to be formally turned over to the Senate and House Judiciary committees looking into the US Attorney firings.

Mr. McDonald faces a maximum of 18 months in prison as part of his plea deal; Mr. Cole faces up to 2 years of probation. Both face penalties from the Internal Revenue Service. They will be sentenced Aug. 15.

Authorities have said Gaines and two others attacked Scotty Joe Weaver at his trailer in 2004.

Prosecutors said they beat, strangled and cut the 18-year-old before setting his body afire, and the extent of Weaver's injuries pointed to the attackers' distaste for his sexual orientation.

Gaines will not testify at the trial set to start May 7, but jurors will watch a video recording of his confession, defense attorney J. Clark Stankoski said. Lawyers have not said whether Gaines will testify against his two co-defendants, Robert Porter and Nichole Kelsay, who are scheduled to be tried separately later this year.

The slaying drew interest from gay rights groups, and hundreds of mourners attended a vigil for Weaver in Mobile after the killing. Anti-gay groups picketed outside the Crossroads Church of God, where Weaver's funeral was held.