Prosecutor Archives

Norfolk Elects Prosecutor Who Says Crime Is a “Symptom of Structural Racism”

Virginia’s primaries on Tuesday saw Ramin Fatehi clinch the Democratic nomination for Commonwealth Attorney in Norfolk, the site of a major showdown over reform in 2019. He is unchallenged in November.

Daniel Nichanian Jun 10, 2021

The Battle for D.A. Is Testing Philadelphia’s Commitment to Reform

Larry Krasner ended an era of tough-on-crime policies in the DA’s office and sparked a nationwide movement. Now voters will decide whether to continue on this path.

Maura Ewing May 17, 2021

Nevada Prosecutors Are Standing in the Way of Abolishing the Death Penalty

Time is running out for the state Senate to advance a bill repealing the death penalty. Two influential Democratic senators also work as prosecutors, and the state’s DA association is fighting the reform.

Daniel Nichanian May 07, 2021

In Nation’s Incarceration Capital, a New D.A. Is Freeing People From Prison

New Orleans DA Jason Williams is making changes to remedy excessive sentencing, obstacles to parole, and convictions made by nonunanimous juries.

Katie Jane Fernelius Apr 21, 2021

This Public Defender Has Fought the Manhattan D.A.’s Office. Now She Wants To Lead It.

Eliza Orlins, who is running in the June 22 primary, lays out how she would overhaul the “prosecutorial-industrial complex.”

Daniel Nichanian Apr 19, 2021

‘Life Sentences Are Death Sentences.’ How This D.A. Candidate Wants to Decarcerate Manhattan

Dan Quart makes the case for addressing the “systemic breakdown” in New York’s prisons and jails with shorter sentences, ending cash bail, and other reforms.

Daniel Nichanian Mar 11, 2021

Newly Elected Prosecutors Are Challenging the Death Penalty

Two more anti-death penalty DAs were elected last week, and the new Los Angeles DA confirmed he would review past sentences.

Daniel Nichanian Dec 09, 2020

Your Guide to 30 Sheriff and Prosecutor Elections That Could Challenge Mass Incarceration

These are the key local elections where criminal justice reform is on the line next month, around the country.

Daniel Nichanian Oct 19, 2020

How One Election Might Strike a Blow to Mass Incarceration in Arizona

In Maricopa County, years of harsh charging and sentencing policies have sent state incarceration rates soaring. Now that legacy is in question in November’s prosecutor election.

Meg O'Connor Sep 22, 2020

Cincinnati Is an Epicenter for the Death Penalty. Its Prosecutor Race Could End That in November.

In Hamilton County, Joe Deters has sent more people to death row than any other prosecutor in Ohio. His challenger, Fanon Rucker, promises to stop that practice.

Rachel M. Cohen Sep 15, 2020

Charleston Prosecutor Candidate Wants to “Shut Off the Mass Incarceration Mindset”

In a Q&A, Ben Pogue, who is running to be the chief prosecutor of South Carolina’s Ninth Circuit, discusses how he would confront racial injustice.

Daniel Nichanian Sep 14, 2020

Why a Suburban Illinois Prosecutor Candidate Is Drawing Inspiration From Protests

This DeKalb County attorney says that fighting mass incarceration will make people safer than President Trump’s “law and order” messaging.

Daniel Nichanian Sep 09, 2020

Broward County Will Elect Its First New Prosecutor in 44 Years. Will the Office Veer Left?

In South Florida, the crowded Aug. 18 Democratic primary features one candidate who says he would not prosecute sex work and marijuana possession cases.

Jerry Iannelli Aug 11, 2020

Wisconsin is Voting For Its D.A.s, But Democracy Is Not On The Ballot

Nearly all of its 71 DA elections feature a candidate running unopposed. Once again, voters won’t have a say over the shape of prosecution and criminal justice.

Daniel Nichanian Aug 11, 2020

Orlando Prosecutor Race Plays Out In The Shadow Of Florida’s Retaliation Against Reform

State Attorney Aramis Ayala has faced reprisal for bold criminal justice reforms. The Aug. 18 election will determine whether her successor builds on her legacy or backtracks.

Samantha Schuyler Aug 07, 2020

Progressives Score New Wins in Prosecutor Elections, Adding to the Movement’s Breadth

“Maybe we do teach the liberal bastions how things can be done by these country bumpkins over here,” said one winning candidate.

Daniel Nichanian Aug 05, 2020

Pima County Candidates Battle Over Whether the Prosecutor’s Office Needs an Outsider to Achieve Reform

In this Arizona county with over one million residents, two career prosecutors are facing off against a former public defender in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, which will decide the election.

Meg O'Connor Jul 30, 2020

Prosecutors Roll Out Reforms in Four States

A Maryland prosecutor stops seeking cash bail, Kentucky and Virginia prosecutors limit pot cases, and a Hawaii prosecutor reduces charges for driving offenses.

Daniel Nichanian Sep 19, 2019

Prosecutors Become Unlikely Line of Defense Against Abortion Bans

Recently, prosecutors have begun to use their discretion to stop enforcing laws they consider unjust.

Sarah Lustbader May 21, 2019

Should Public Agents Resist Injustice Within the Justice System?

If Border Patrol agents should refuse to tear gas children at the border, should prosecutors, police, and judges not refuse some of their duties too?

Sarah Lustbader Nov 30, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Rensselaer County, New York

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

Daniel Nichanian Nov 01, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Hennepin County

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

Daniel Nichanian Nov 01, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Bexar County, Texas

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

Daniel Nichanian Oct 25, 2018

Portland District Attorney Candidates at Odds on Even Basic Reform Steps

Portland district attorney candidates at odds on even basic reform steps.

Daniel Nichanian Oct 04, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Payne and Logan, Oklahoma

Can a candidate for prosecutor make Payne and Logan counties “a mecca for criminal justice reform?”

Daniel Nichanian Sep 28, 2018

2018 Election Preview: D.A. of Berkshire County, Massachusetts

General election preview: Defeated in primary, Berkshire DA launches write-in bid Berkshire County District Attorney Paul Caccaviello lost the Sept. 4 Democratic primary against Andrea Harrington, a defense attorney. But he has since announced a write-in campaign to keep his position in November. He told The Intercept that a district attorney should not be a “product manufactured by a […]

Daniel Nichanian Sep 27, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Marin County, California

Candidates disagree on the county’s cooperation with ICE and on the treatment of young defendants.

Daniel Nichanian Sep 20, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Tulsa County, Oklahoma

In Tulsa’s DA race, challenger wants to shift criminal justice conversation Daniel Nichanian Jenny Proehl-Day, the Democratic nominee for Tulsa County district attorney, begins answering an ACLU questionnaire by noting that she is a former prosecutor: “I contributed to the issue of mass incarceration and now I am trying to be a part of the solution,” she […]

Daniel Nichanian Sep 20, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Plymouth County DA faces former employee who assails his ethics and policies Daniel Nichanian Massachusetts’s Sept. 4 elections resolved three hotly disputed Democratic primaries for district attorney—and they also added a Democratic candidate where there was none: John Bradley received enough write-in votes in Plymouth County (south of Boston) to make it onto the ballot as the Democratic […]

Daniel Nichanian Sep 20, 2018

Boston DA Nominee Embraces Next Frontier of Criminal Justice Reforms: Declining Cases

Many reform advocates believe that declining to prosecute cases is an effective way for prosecutors to shrink the system and break cycles of incarceration that disproportionately ensnare people of color.

Sarah Lustbader Sep 14, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Democrats select Rachael Rollins, who faces independent Mike Maloney in November Daniel Nichanian Boston voters selected Rachael Rollins as the Democratic nominee for district attorney of Suffolk County. In so doing, they shifted away from the record of outgoing DA Dan Conley, a Democrat who has resisted criminal justice reform. Rollins defeated Gregory Henning (the candidate endorsed […]

Daniel Nichanian Sep 06, 2018

2018 Election Preview: District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Middlesex County debates guidelines and data necessary to achieve reform Daniel Nichanian The district attorney of Middlesex County—the state’s most populous county, home to Lowell and Cambridge—is campaigning for re-election as a progressive who has already been reforming the county’s criminal justice system. Her opponent in the Sept. 4 Democratic primary rejects that characterization, questioning the […]

Daniel Nichanian Aug 30, 2018

2018 Election Preview: State's Attorney of Bennington County, Vermont

Punitive practices are at issue in the race to be prosecutor of Bennington County. Daniel Nichanian “Bennington Locks Up More People Than Any Other Vermont County,” Seven Days reported in 2016. Led by State’s Attorney Erica Marthage since 2006, county prosecutors have consistently “thrown the book” at defendants, this investigation documents. Marthage’s office charged a man with murder […]

Daniel Nichanian Aug 28, 2018

Cole County Prosecutor Known for Prosecuting Clergy Protest Loses Reelection

Daniel Nichanian Eyes were glued on St. Louis County on Aug. 7, but another Missouri prosecutor was also ousted that same night. Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson was seeking a fourth term, but he lost in the Republican primary to Assistant State Attorney General Locke Thompson. Cole County includes the state capital Jefferson City, […]

Daniel Nichanian Aug 14, 2018

2018 Election Preview: Prosecuting attorney of Platte County, Missouri

Reprimanded by state Supreme Court, prosecutor heads toward re-election Daniel Nichanian Platte County’s longtime prosecuting attorney Eric Zahnd was disciplined this year, just months before he is to face voters in this county north of Kansas City. In 2015, Zahnd oversaw the prosecution of a man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child. At […]

Daniel Nichanian Aug 10, 2018

St. Louis Prosecutor Faces First Opponent Since Ferguson Protests

Daniel Nichanian St. Louis County’s longtime prosecuting attorney Bob McCulloch is seeking an eighth four-year term, four years after the 2014 Ferguson protests. That year, he drew heavy criticism for the way he handled his investigation into Michael Brown’s shooting and for his failure to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Brown. His actions fit a […]

Daniel Nichanian Aug 02, 2018

Sent a Candidate Questionnaire, Vermont Incumbents Submit Joint Response

Questionnaires “should not have been perceived as controversial or adversarial,” says the executive director of the state ACLU. Daniel Nichanian The ACLU of Vermont has published responses to a policy questionnaire it sent to all candidates running for Vermont’s 14 state’s attorney positions, including the 14 incumbents who are all seeking re-election this year. To meet the […]

Daniel Nichanian Jul 23, 2018