Criminal Justice

US Border Patrol agents smash a man's car window before dragging him out and taking him into custody when he failed to present citizenship documentation at a gas station on January 11, 2026, in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Trump administration has sent an estimated 2,000 federal agents into the area as they make a push to arrest undocumented immigrants.

Notes From an ICE Chaser Notes From an ICE Chaser

I followed agents from Illinois to North Carolina to Minnesota. To my surprise, they loved my coverage.

May 30, 2026 / Amanda Moore

Pamela Colloff, author of the book “Catch the Devil,” on a panel

How America’s Courts Fell for a Con Man How America’s Courts Fell for a Con Man

In her new book, Catch the Devil, reporter Pamela Colloff traces the life and crimes of a mendacious jailhouse informant and exposes the systems that allowed him to walk free.

May 29, 2026 / StudentNation / Henry Fernandez

President Trump responds to a reporter’s question about domestic violence, in 2018.

The Trump Administration Is Refusing to Follow the Laws Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors The Trump Administration Is Refusing to Follow the Laws Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors

The administration has repeatedly failed to disburse funds for services for domestic violence survivors and blocked the enforcement of their rights.

May 28, 2026 / Bryce Covert

Sheriff’s deputies investigate a shooting scene outside the Montgomery County Courthouse, May 13, 2026, in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Chud the Builder and America’s Tradition of White Racial Terror Chud the Builder and America’s Tradition of White Racial Terror

We are not in unprecedented territory. We are returning to form.

May 20, 2026 / Kali Holloway

A large image of Donald Trump hangs from the the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, DC.

For Trump’s January 6 Slush Fund, the Impunity Is the Point For Trump’s January 6 Slush Fund, the Impunity Is the Point

Nixon and his henchmen went to great lengths to conceal their slush-money crimes. Trump and his MAGA coterie don’t have to worry about that.

May 20, 2026 / Chris Lehmann

Richard “Bigo” Barnett, who was convicted of for his actions at the January 6 riot, shows off his pardon from President Donald Trump, at a news conference on February 21, 2025, with members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other January 6 offenders who received pardons or commuted sentences.

The Devastating Double Standard for January 6 Rioters The Devastating Double Standard for January 6 Rioters

The Trump administration wields the full strength of its punitive power against immigrants, political opponents, and marginalized groups—and pardons January 6 offenders.

May 13, 2026 / Kali Holloway

The Richard J. Daley Courthouse and Office Building in Chicago.

Illinois Is Helping People Awaiting Trial Get Back to Court and Stay Out of Jail Illinois Is Helping People Awaiting Trial Get Back to Court and Stay Out of Jail

The state has a successful pilot in four counties to offer free services to those on pretrial release. But federal budget cuts put the program at risk.

May 8, 2026 / Bryce Covert

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche (left) and FBI Director Kash Patel appear at a press conference following the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center for money laundering at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2026.

The DOJ’s Bogus Allegations Against the SPLC Are a Dog Whistle to White Nationalists The DOJ’s Bogus Allegations Against the SPLC Are a Dog Whistle to White Nationalists

The case against the anti-hate organization will reassure racists that an organization that successfully tracks, exposes, and bankrupts them is now in the government’s crosshairs....

Apr 28, 2026 / Kali Holloway

Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026.

We Could Do Worse Than Kash Patel Being a Drunken Buffoon We Could Do Worse Than Kash Patel Being a Drunken Buffoon

If the FBI director’s alleged intoxication prevents him from carrying out Trump’s agenda, that might not be such a bad thing.

Apr 20, 2026 / Jeet Heer

The Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City.

Trump Is Making Federal Prison Even More Dangerous for Transgender Inmates Trump Is Making Federal Prison Even More Dangerous for Transgender Inmates

New directives from the Bureau of Prisons amount to government-mandated conversion therapy.

Apr 20, 2026 / Kali Holloway

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