Daniel Nichanian

In This Edition of the Political Report December 13, 2018: North Carolina: State’s two largest counties quit ICE’s 287(g) program. Will a third follow? Washington: What does it mean to take politics out of prosecution? A look at Pierce County Wisconsin: Will anyone run for district attorney? Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee: Brighter spotlight on life sentences […]

The majority of Wisconsin counties have held no contested DA election this decade.

An incoming prosecutor says the job ought to be nonpolitical, but her campaign also illustrated the limitations of this common trope.

Two large North Carolina counties quit ICE’s 287(g) program this month.

In This Edition of the Political Report December 6, 2018: Florida: Looming appointments could alter Supreme Court’s sentencing outlook Kentucky: Spotlight on felony disenfranchisement New Jersey: Attorney general limits cooperation with ICE, postpones some decisions Quick links: GEO Group poured money into the midterms, Steuart Pittman indicates Anne Arundel County will withdraw from ICE deal, […]

New Jersey attorney general limits local cooperation with ICE, postpones some decisions.

Court issued a series of major youth sentencing and death penatly rulings in 2016. But its politics could soon swing dramatically.

“What kind of state is Kentucky, truly?” asked an organizer. “What kind of democracy, if you take away folks, Black and brown folks?”

Robin Davis and Michael Conlon were elected county attorney of Hillsborough County and Merrimack County. What does that mean for criminal justice reform in New Hampshire?

The Appeal: Political Report digs into efforts to expand Medicaid in GA, ID, and NE, disenfranchisement in MS, and two new NH prosecutors.

Here you can find the full answers that Michael Conlon, the County Attorney-Elect of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, gave The Appeal: Political Report in answer to three questions about his views on criminal justice reform. You can read the accompanying story here. Question: NH came close to abolishing the death penalty in 2018. If the […]

Mississippi has inherited the dubious distinction of being the state that disenfranchises the highest share of its residents.

In Georgia, Idaho, and Nebraska, advocates connected the dots between access to care, drug addiction, and mass incarceration.

Voters overwhelmingly approved measures to restore voting rights and enable bolder sentencing reform.

“Ninety percent of my campaign was actually an education about what a DA is, what a DA does,” said one candidate.

In This Edition of the Political Report November 15, 2018: The Appeal Political Report is still exploring the impact of last week’s elections on criminal justice reform: Oklahoma: In interviews, two candidates talk about the challenges of running for DA New Hampshire: Death penalty opponents seize an apparent supermajority in the Senate Florida: Voters adopted […]

Death penalty opponents seize an apparent supermajority in the Senate

Candidates who have pledged to curb pretrial detention gained in Texas, and grabbed a legislative majority in New York.

Daniel Nichanian This year, voters ousted many law enforcement officials who faced public protests over their actions if not allegations of outright misconduct. In August, St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch lost in his first contested election since the Ferguson protests of 2014. On Tuesday, voters ousted two other public officials who drew fire for their handling […]

“People showed up yesterday because they want their local communities to revolve [around] their values,” said a Maryland advocate.

On Tuesday, voters legalized marijuana while electing DAs who have pledged to curb prosecutions and governors who favor legalization.

How Tuesday’s elections might impact key aspects of the criminal justice system.

Local allies of the Trump administration fought challengers over immigration policy.

From sheriffs to bail to marijuana, and more—here’s what you need to know.

Los Angeles holds rare runoff for sheriff in a department rocked by scandals Daniel Nichanian Numerous scandals have hit the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department this year. In September, The Appeal reported about mounting allegations of abuse by the department’s deputies. In early October, the Los Angeles Times published an investigation into racial profiling that found that 69 percent of […]

A year after being charged with misconduct, a prosecutor seeks re-election

Racial disparities and police shootings under the spotlight in Hennepin County election

Candidates for Birmingham DA debate marijuana prosecution, fines and fees

In This Edition of the Political Report November 1, 2018: Election Day is coming in just five days. The Appeal: Political Report has previewed 45 elections on November’s ballot—referendums, elections for sheriff, county executive, and prosecutor, and more—that could change the criminal justice landscape. You can explore all previews individually here. You can also read […]

Implementation of medical marijuana measure splits attorney general candidates.

San Antonio DA candidate pledges to put ‘real teeth’ into cite-and-release program

Marijuana prosecutions and bail reform at the forefront of Dallas DA race.

Candidate for attorney general centers campaign on criminal justice reform

This article is part of our series previewing 2018 local elections.  In the wake of a Nashville police officer shooting and killing Jocques Clemmons, a Black man who was running away, community groups have put a referendum on the November ballot to create an independent board empowered to investigate police misconduct. Clemmons’s mother led the […]

In This Edition of the Political Report October 25, 2018: Florida: Sheriff candidate pledges to withdraw from ICE partnership Tennessee: Nashville considers implementing an independent police oversight board Texas:  San Antonio DA candidate pledges to put ‘real teeth’ into cite-and-release Texas: Marijuana prosecutions and bail reform at the forefront of Dallas DA race Kansas: Candidate […]

A sheriff challenger pledges to withdraw from ICE partnership Federal courts have repeatedly ruled against local officials who hold people in jail beyond their scheduled release based on ICE “detainer” requests. In January, ICE and 17 Florida sheriffs launched a new bid to circumvent those rulings; they announced a new sort of agreement, which they […]

Michigan and North Dakota vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and Missouri and Utah for medical use.

In November, six states are holding referenda on whether to adopt “Marsy’s Law.”

Oregon’s 30-year-old ‘sanctuary’ law is under threat

In This Edition of the Political Report October 18, 2018: 14 states hold referendums in which voters will weigh in directly on measures relevant to the criminal justice system and law enforcement practices. Florida: Will voters open the door to retroactively applying criminal justice reforms? Florida: State could overhaul its regime of mass disenfranchisement Louisiana: […]