Will Maryland Lawmakers Come Back to Work?
In a moment of crisis, the state Senate and House are slated to be in recess until January.
Jay Willis Jul 10, 2020
How The Supreme Court Has Gradually Weakened The Legal Protections You Have When You’re Arrested
For decades, the Court has been carving out generous exceptions and crafting new rules that limit the Miranda warning’s real-world impact.
Jay Willis Jun 23, 2020
Portland City Council Votes to Cut $15 Million From Police Budget
The cuts will defund a controversial gang policing unit and end the city’s policing partnership with TriMet, the regional transit agency.
Jay Willis Jun 17, 2020
Louisville Metro Council Bans No-Knock Raids Following The Police Killing of Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor was killed nearly three months ago during a no-knock raid. All 26 members of the Metro Council have signed on as co-sponsors to “Breonna’s Law,” which would ban them.
Jay Willis Jun 11, 2020
Minneapolis City Council Members Announce Intent To Disband The Police Department, Invest In Proven Community-Led Public Safety
The move follows the police killing of George Floyd and more than a week of uprisings, where hundreds of thousands of people around the world have protested against police violence, and abusive police responses to the protests.
Jay Willis Jun 07, 2020
For Trump, There Is No Policing Without Violence
A president who openly endorses police brutality struggles with a nation rejecting it.
Jay Willis Jun 03, 2020
Brian Kemp’s Sham Democracy in Georgia
The poster boy of Republican voter suppression is using loopholes in state law to cancel key Supreme Court and district attorney races in 2020.
Jay Willis May 13, 2020
The Supreme Court Buys Into Donald Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Fearmongering
Using language evoking pernicious stereotypes about immigration and crime, the Court’s conservative majority clears the way for the Trump administration to deport legal permanent residents for crimes committed long ago.
Jay Willis Apr 29, 2020
Judges Are Exploiting the COVID-19 Pandemic to Advance the Conservative Agenda
A trio of cases in Wisconsin and Texas illustrates how Republican judges are feigning helplessness in the face of a public health crisis while furthering their own ends.
Jay Willis Apr 22, 2020
The Supreme Court Just Struck Down the Last State Law Allowing Split Jury Verdicts
Ramos v. Louisiana is a long-overdue affirmation of the constitutional rights of criminal defendants—and sets the stage for dramatic Supreme Court fights in the years ahead.
Jay Willis Apr 20, 2020
The COVID-19 Prison Disaster Is No Longer Hypothetical
People are dying in jails and prisons because elected officials hesitated at the worst possible moment.
Jay Willis Apr 09, 2020
The Coronavirus Food Bank Crisis Is Already Underway
In Austin and across the country, service providers are dealing with spikes in demand, new logistical challenges, and mounting uncertainty about the months ahead.
Jay Willis Apr 06, 2020
The Voices Warning Trump About COVID-19 In Prisons Are Growing Louder. Will He Listen?
There are no good reasons for the president to keep vulnerable people behind bars any longer.
Jay Willis Mar 31, 2020
Seattle Was Struggling To Care For Its Unhoused Population. Then Coronavirus Arrived.
Advocates for the area’s homeless residents say the pandemic will worsen the crisis they have already been living through.
Jay Willis Mar 26, 2020
Harris County D.A. Kim Ogg Wins Democratic Primary
She withstood challenges from two of her former assistant district attorneys who wanted to reform the office and reduce prosecutions of low-level offenses.
Jay Willis Mar 04, 2020
Bernie Sanders Endorses Audia Jones for Harris County D.A.
Jones is challenging incumbent Kim Ogg in the 2020 election.
Jay Willis Feb 13, 2020
How Witness Identifications Send Innocent People to Prison
Mistaken identifications have been involved in nearly 70 percent of post-conviction exonerations based on DNA evidence.
Jay Willis Feb 11, 2020
Should a Prosecutor’s Immunity Cover Faking Documents to Lock Up Witnesses?
A lawsuit alleges Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office created bogus "subpoenas" to secure reluctant witnesses' cooperation—and even used them to jail crime victims.
Jay Willis Feb 05, 2020
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Wants to Slash Public Defender Funding By $3 Million
Advocates warn that the cuts could push an already overburdened system to the breaking point.
Jay Willis Jan 22, 2020
A City Council Resolution Could End Marijuana Arrests and Fines in Austin, Texas
The move is made possible by a Texas law that legalized the production of hemp last year.
Jay Willis Jan 10, 2020
Chesa Boudin Sworn In as San Francisco’s New District Attorney
The former deputy public defender promised that his office would immediately end cash bail and stop seeking three-strikes sentencing enhancements.
Jay Willis Jan 08, 2020