After a long delay, President Obama declines to fire US attorneys over Aaron Swartz’s suicide

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The White House is declining to fire two Justice Department officials over their handling of a court case involving Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide in 2013 after being accused of hacking into a university network.

The decision comes nearly two years after Swartz’s death, and responds to separate We the People petitions demanding the dismissal of US District Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who oversaw the prosecution, and US Attorney Steve Heymann, another prosecutor in the case. “We will not address agency personnel matters in a petition response,” the White House wrote in its reply, “because we do not believe this is the appropriate forum in which to do so.” The White House was quick to add that it works with technology advocates “to ensure the Internet remains a free and open platform.”


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