[JURIST] The US House Judiciary Committee [official website] will consider a resolution granting immunity to Monica M. Goodling [JURIST news archive], former special counsel to the US Attorney General, in exchange for her testimony concerning last year's firing of eight US Attorneys [JURIST news archive], according to a prepared statement read by committee chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) [official website] Tuesday. If two-thirds of the committee agree to the resolution, an application would be submitted to the federal district court for a grant of immunity. Speaking on the proposal, Conyers stated that Goodling's testimony is pivotal in clearing up "the many inconsistencies and gaps surrounding this matter."

Goodling previously told the committee that she would not speak to the committee about her role in the firings [JURIST report], and stated through her lawyer, John Dowd, that she would seek protection under her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if the committee issued her a subpoena. US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile; JURIST news archive] was originally scheduled to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] regarding the firings on Tuesday, but his testimony was postponed [JURIST report] until Thursday in the wake of Monday's shootings [New York Times report] at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute that left 33 people dead. AP has more.