Law

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 tremendously 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

Undocumented third grader Yanela Sanchez practices math at her family's apartment

How Trump’s Deportation Regime Is Reshaping Schools How Trump’s Deportation Regime Is Reshaping Schools

Across the US, students are missing school, falling behind academically, and carrying the trauma of detention and family separation into school each day.

May 8, 2026 / StudentNation / Lajward Zahra

Supporters of voting rights hold signs outside the US Supreme Court on October 15, 2025.

The Supreme Court Just Made Its Voting Rights Ruling Even Worse The Supreme Court Just Made Its Voting Rights Ruling Even Worse

The court has fast-tracked its decision demolishing the VRA, helping Southern states redraw their maps before the midterms.

May 5, 2026 / Elie Mystal

While the Supreme Court’s order eases immediate concerns, the underlying conceit and harm posed by Louisiana’s litigation is devastating and should not be ignored.

Louisiana’s Disregard for Pregnant People and Black Voters Must Not Be Ignored Louisiana’s Disregard for Pregnant People and Black Voters Must Not Be Ignored

The stakes are undeniable when voting rights are diminished and abortion access is on the line.

May 5, 2026 / Michele Goodwin

Incarcerated people make phone calls in the Little Scandinavia unit at SCI Chester in Pennsylvania on March 9, 2023.

What Happens When Jails and Prisons Make Phone Calls Free? What Happens When Jails and Prisons Make Phone Calls Free?

Thanks to policy changes in six prison systems and several dozen jail systems, families are talking more and saving money.

May 5, 2026 / Katie Rose Quandt

The sun sets behind a border fence separating Del Rio, Texas, and Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Thursday, September 23, 2021.

The Long Nightmare of Trump’s Border Wall Is Still Going The Long Nightmare of Trump’s Border Wall Is Still Going

It may have fallen out of the news cycle, but rest assured, the the world’s least pragmatic and most performative construction project continues to prosper.

May 4, 2026 / William deBuys

The Sniper in the House

The Sniper in the House The Sniper in the House

The gun lobby shapes a bloody America unchecked.

May 4, 2026 / OppArt / Jack Ohman

Signage left by demonstrators outside the US Supreme Court on March 26, 2024.

They Were Never Going to Stop After “Dobbs.” We Can Minimize the Harm. They Were Never Going to Stop After “Dobbs.” We Can Minimize the Harm.

Our collective liberation depends on our continued dedication to caring for each other through these threats and attacks on abortion access.

May 4, 2026 / Dr. Jamila Perritt

Telehealth abortion—in which a provider, patient, and pharmacy all interact online and pills are mailed to patients—accounts for more than a quarter of all abortions.

The Fifth Circuit Seeks to Unilaterally Reimpose an Outdated Abortion Pill Protocol The Fifth Circuit Seeks to Unilaterally Reimpose an Outdated Abortion Pill Protocol

What comes next is shifting terrain. The drug manufacturer has asked the Supreme Court to intervene, but the Food and Drug Administration could also step in.

May 2, 2026 / Rachel Rebouché

A café in Mardin.

A Turkish Border Town on the Brink of Change A Turkish Border Town on the Brink of Change

I visited the city of Mardin, where Turkish, Syrian, and Kurdish people live together. What I found was a culture of pluralism under siege.

May 2, 2026 / Saliha Bayrak

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