Kyle C. Barry Kyle C. Barry Managing Editor, The Lab Kyle C. Barry previously served as senior policy counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where his advocacy focused on judicial nominations, voting rights, and economic equality. Kyle served as the director of justice programs at Alliance for Justice in Washington, D.C. A nationally recognized expert on civil rights issues, Kyle’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Slate, The Nation, Politico, and The Hill among other outlets, and he has provided commentary on “Democracy Now!” and “The Roland Martin Show.” Kyle also has experience litigating both civil and criminal cases, and has authored or co-authored briefs filed in federal courts around the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Kyle clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy and U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss in the District of Vermont. Kyle is a graduate of the University of Vermont and Yale Law School. @KyleCBarry
The Dishonest Blame Game of Retail Store Closures and Crime Reporters who parrot corporate claims of out-of-control theft play into a narrative that benefits big business and perpetuates carceral policies. Kyle C. Barry
Cuomo’s Nominee to New York’s Highest Court Alarms Criminal Justice Reformers Progressives are warning that the governor’s appointment of the Nassau County district attorney would intensify the court’s pro-prosecution bent. Kyle C. Barry
Prosecutors Excluded Black Jurors in a Death Penalty Case. They’re Getting Away With It. The Fifth Circuit’s decision against James Garfield Broadnax, a Black man on death row in Texas, is the latest example of the deference judges grant prosecutors to craft white juries. Kyle C. Barry
California Voters Demand Police Accountability from Next State Attorney General Kyle C. Barry, Sean McElwee
How the Supreme Court Has Turned False Narratives on Policing into More Police Power Jennifer Laurin, Kyle C. Barry
Civil Rights Loom Large in North Carolina’s Supreme Court Elections The race for chief justice, between a former public defender and a former prosecutor, will shape the court’s willingness to advance racial justice. Kyle C. Barry
Bipartisan Majority of Maricopa County Voters Want Prosecutor Candidates to Not Criminalize Abortion Sean McElwee, Kyle C. Barry
Governor Newsom Adds Another Prosecutor to the California Supreme Court The state has not had a justice with experience as a public defender since the mid-1980s. Kyle C. Barry
California Adopts New Laws to Fight Racism in Jury Selection California just made it harder for prosecutors to exclude Black people from jury trials, amid broader reforms against racial discrimination in courtrooms. Kyle C. Barry
A New Supreme Court Justice Could Swing Criminal Justice Decisions in Washington What newly-appointed G. Helen Whitener does next will shape whether Washington State moves in a more progressive direction. Kyle C. Barry
California Prosecutors Must Do More To Protect Their Communities From COVID-19: Policies and Polling Kyle C. Barry, Jody David Armour
In Wisconsin, Liberal Challenger Wins Despite Voting Restrictions and Tough-on-Crime Playbook Jill Karofsky ousted a conservative Supreme Court Justice in an election marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, poll closures, and missing absentee ballots. Kyle C. Barry
California Voters Support Releasing People from Jails and Prisons to Protect Communities from COVID-19 Kyle C. Barry, Lara Bazelon
Tuesday’s Supreme Court Race Is the Latest Chapter in Wisconsin’s Heated Power Struggle But one candidate wants voters to forget the beliefs and career record driving his jurisprudence, with criminal justice at issue. Kyle C. Barry
In California, Coronavirus Threatens Due Process Delaying trials will mean more people stay in jail while a life-threatening disease spreads throughout the state. Kyle C. Barry
Some Supreme Courts Are Helping Shrink Jails to Stop Outbreaks. Others Are Lagging Behind. In several states, supreme courts issued direct orders to reduce arrests and release people over the past week. Kyle C. Barry
The Care Economy – Policies and Polling on Mitigating the Effects of the Coronavirus Kyle C. Barry, Sean McElwee, Jason Ganz
Courts Set Policy, and a Judicial Candidate in Illinois Wants to Finally Talk About It “In some cases we need the Illinois Supreme Court to use its policy making powers to make criminal justice reform real,” said Daniel Epstein, a candidate in Tuesday’s election. Kyle C. Barry
Yes, Amy Klobuchar Is To Blame For Myon Burrell’s Unjust Conviction Prosecutors in Hennepin County, Minnesota, used jailhouse informants and an unreliable gang expert, and ignored evidence of innocence to send a Black teenager to prison for life. Kyle C. Barry
Five Jurists Said Donnie Lance Deserved a New Sentence. Georgia Executed Him Anyway. Three Supreme Court justices and others said competent counsel could have saved his life. Kyle C. Barry
What Happens When Prison ‘Lifers’ Get A Chance At Healing And Redemption? In California, a prison program run by people once sentenced to life shows how even the most serious offenders are more than the worst things they’ve done. Nick Wing, Kyle C. Barry
California Supreme Court Fails To Resolve ‘Constitutional Crisis’ Created By Police Privacy Laws A narrow ruling on Brady lists ensures that protecting the police will continue to prevail over due process. Kyle C. Barry
San Francisco Is Paying For Jamal Trulove’s Wrongful Conviction. Will Kamala Harris? Police and prosecutors framed a father of four in a 2007 murder case with local and national political implications. Kyle C. Barry
Simon Liu Isn’t A Sex Offender. But He’s Still on the Registry For Life. California’s expansive registry law forces people to pay for crimes they didn’t personally commit. Kyle C. Barry
‘Cage The Bastards’ Former prosecutor and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro inspires Trump’s rhetoric of dehumanization and incarceration. Kyle C. Barry
ICE-friendly Policies. A String of Jail Deaths. Why Does This Sheriff Keep Getting Elected? Advocates say Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern is an odd fit for the Bay Area, but mounting a challenge has proved daunting. Kyle C. Barry
A New Power for Prosecutors is on the Horizon—Reducing Harsh Sentences Legislation in California would provide a direct route to resentencing, and a new tool for activists. Kyle C. Barry
What Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court Would Mean for Criminal Justice Trump’s pick to replace Justice Kennedy would most likely undermine the rights of criminal defendants and stall progress on solitary confinement, prisoners’ rights, and the death penalty. Kyle C. Barry
Lawsuit Tests the Supreme Court’s ‘Immunity Protection Program’ for Police Officers Who Kill Kyle C. Barry
