Has the DOJ Gone Too Far?

Has the Justice Department gone too far in its pursuit of white-collar criminals? An FT piece today says the DOJ “is coming under intense pressure to soften some of the tactics it embraced” after the Bush Administration put white-collar crime at the top of its law enforcement agenda.

The department adopted a tough policy in 2003 that has been a sore point for legal experts and business lobbyists, who say it unlawfully forces individuals and companies to forgo their due process rights in order to avoid being indicted.

While the department has largely ignored such criticisms in the past, the climate may be shifting following a recent ruling by a judge overseeing the government’s case against former partners at auditing firm KPMG.