Can the Criminal Justice System Be Fixed? The Jury's Still Out.
Under the law, prosecutors are supposed to pursue justice and not only seek convictions.
Prosecutors
45 Prosecutors Ask Missouri's Supreme Court To Give Lamar Johnson a New Trial
Lamar Johnson, who is serving his 25th year in prison, has been absolved of responsibility for a 1994 murder. A circuit judge says it's too late to give him a new trial.
Louisiana Prosecutors Say They Can't Be Sued Over the Fake Subpoenas They Used To Pressure Witnesses Into Testifying
In several cases, victims received higher bonds than criminal defendants and were forced to serve jail time.
New York Police Try To Pin Gang Witness's Death on Criminal Justice Reforms
The state’s new rules requiring information-sharing with defense lawyers are not to blame here.
A Group of Prosecutors Want SCOTUS To Save Death Row Inmate James Dailey
Former prosecutor Bennett Gershman: "The use of jailhouse informants...is one of the great abuses in criminal trials across America."
Michael Flynn Wants To Withdraw Guilty Plea, Alleges Prosecutors Threatened To Indict His Son
The former national security advisor accuses prosecutors of misconduct—and says his former defense lawyers had conflicts of interest.
New York Is Ringing In the New Year With Major Criminal Justice Reforms
Less dependence on bail and stronger requirements for evidence sharing will help defendants fight charges.
Georgia Prosecutors Seized a Crab Shack Over Gambling Charges. A State Supreme Court Ruling Could Decide the Fate of Gaming in the State.
Prosecutors are hiring private attorneys to pursue asset forfeiture charges against establishments that offer coin-operated gaming.
Will Prosecutors Attempt to Neuter New York's Bail Reforms?
Reformers worry that district attorneys will subvert new rules, but prosecutors worry about those who refuse to show up for court.
Federal Prosecutors Are Punishing Actor Lori Loughlin for Exercising Her Right To Defend Herself
Plea deals aren’t about mercy these days. They’re about intimidating defendants into giving up the right to a trial.
Indianapolis' Top Prosecutor Says He'll Stop Charging Simple Marijuana Possession
Marion County, Indiana, joins a growing list of jurisdictions where prosecutors are refusing to file charges for petty marijuana offenses.
Boston Judge Smacked Down for Overruling D.A. Who Tried To Drop 'Straight Pride' Protest Charges
Top justice rules that trying to push a criminal case forward over prosecutors’ objections is a violation of separation of powers.
Boston Judge Turns Stupid Straight Pride Parade Fighting Into Bizarre Constitutional Drama
An attempt by the district attorney to drop charges against nonviolent protesters was overruled.
California's Top Court Finally Allows Law Enforcement Agencies to Share List of Problem Cops With Prosecutors
Powerful unions and state-mandated secrecy made it a fight to know about misconduct.
Attorney General Barr Does Not Approve of Your Kinder, Gentler Elected District Attorneys
In a speech to police, Barr called for citizens to shut up and do what officers tell them to.
How Confirmation Bias Sends Innocent People to Prison
A new study of wrongful convictions shows the problem goes beyond misconduct by police and prosecutors.
Child Sex Trafficking Prosecutions Down Under Trump
For the second year in a row, federal prosecutions for sex trafficking of children have dropped.
Acosta Resigns as Labor Secretary
He says his role in Jeffrey Epstein's plea deal has become a distraction.
Kamala Harris Is Reimagining Herself as a Progressive Prosecutor
Harris is pitching a carefully constructed narrative that seems to be at odds with her record in many ways.
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Curtis Flowers, Man Tried 6 Times for Same Crime
The high court ruled that prosecutor Doug Evans violated Flowers' constitutional rights when Evans sought to keep African-Americans off of the jury.
A Judge Called His Mandatory Sentence 'Excessive' and 'Wrong.' Less Than a Year Later He Died In Federal Prison
Frederick Turner was sentenced to a mandatory 40 years on nonviolent drug and firearm charges. He ended up in a high-security federal prison, and now he's dead.
Kamala Harris Tries (Again) to Rewrite Her History as a Prosecutor of Petty Crimes
Plus: YouTube moderation, over-the-counter birth control, craft brewery regulation, New York prostitution laws, and more...
San Antonio Prosecutor Will Stop Prosecuting Trace Drug Amounts and Petty Pot Possession
The Bexar County District Attorney plans to stop prosecuting people for trace drug amounts and less than one ounce of pot in order to focus resources on violent crime.
A Question Barr Flubbed Badly
How could Barr have allowed Deputy AG Rosenstein to participate in evaluating an obstruction-of-justice case against the President when Rosenstein was a key participant in the possibly obstructive events, and would be a witness if a charge were brought?
'Some People Might Say That Ricky Fell Through a Crack in the System. This Is Not a Crack. This Is the System.'
Over 23 years ago Missouri’s criminal justice system failed a man charged with murder. This week he’s looking at his last best chance at freedom.
Kamala Harris Offers a Crappy Apology to Parents Who Went to Jail Because Their Kids Missed School
Harris supported a truancy law that listed jail time as a punishment for parents.
Controversial Arizona Prosecutor Juan Martinez May Finally Get a Taste of Justice
Martinez faces allegations of courtroom shenanigans, leaking confidential information, and sexual harassment.
Manhattan D.A. Spent $250K in Asset Forfeiture Funds on Fine Dining and Luxurious Travel
The expenses included five-star Parisian hotels and sumptuous dinners.
California Prosecutors Move to Clear Old Pot Convictions
Recreational weed went into effect last year. Now, two prosecutors are trying to bring the criminal justice system up to speed.
Big Pretrial Justice Reforms Included in New York's Budget
Better evidence sharing and a dramatic drop in cash bail demands will help defendants challenge charges.
Preet Bharara's Boy Scout Manual of 'Doing Justice'
The former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York unconvincingly channels Atticus Finch in his legal memoir.
Waco Biker Massacre Prosecutions Continue to Fall Apart as Last Set of Original Indictments Dismissed
Special prosecutor involved in dropping charges says, "I do have a very serious problem as a lawyer with the wholesale charging of people without an investigation" in the case.
ACLU Releases Model Legislation To Unlock the 'Black Box' of Prosecutor Secrecy
"They're the most powerful player in the criminal justice system. It's really important to know how they use that discretion behind closed doors."
The Chemists and the Cover-Up
Sloppy forensics, drug skimming, and prosecutorial misconduct forced Massachusetts to throw out 47,000 convictions.
Kamala Harris Hopes You'll Forget Her Record as a Drug Warrior and Draconian Prosecutor
The senator and presidential hopeful went to bat for dirty prosecutors, opposed marijuana legalization, and championed policies that endanger sex workers.
Baltimore's Top Prosecutor Will Stop Prosecuting Marijuana Possession Cases
Whether the police will stop arresting people is another question.
Kamala Harris' New Book Tries to Massage Her Record as a Prosecutor, But the Facts Aren't Pretty
The book neglects to mention all the times Harris' office appealed cases that were thrown out for gross prosecutor misconduct.
D.C. vs. the Wide Open West
The relationship between the people who inhabit those spaces and their distant and often distrusted imperial government.
A Man Accused of Sex Abuse is Free Due to the Prosecutor's Drinking Problem
Elected officials must be mindful that their indiscretions can have very public consequences.
New Orleans D.A. Complains About Community Bail Funds Releasing Low-Level Offenders
Organization helps poor people cover costs to get out of jail before their trials. Why is this a problem?
Philly Police Union Sues Over Attempts to Keep Bad Cops Off the Stand
They say it's about due process. Is it really about all that sweet overtime money?
Charges Against Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Accidentally Revealed by U.S. Prosecutors: Reason Roundup
Plus: the NRA versus New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and CNN versus the White House
Alleged Synagogue Shooter May Be a Monster, but He Shouldn't Be Executed
No matter how heinous the crime, the state shouldn't be in the business of killing its citizens.
A Sexual Assault and a Pot Club: Guess Which One Alaska Treated More Harshly?
Two high-profile crimes committed in Anchorage highlight a seemingly unequal criminal justice system.
A Florida Prosecutor Is Accused of Shoplifting From Publix
Legal repercussions apply to everyone, even state attorneys who make 'honest mistakes.'
NYC Prosecutors Drop 3,000 Weed Cases
New York State as a whole seems to be moving toward legalization.
