In This Edition of the Political Report January 4, 2019: About 500 prosecutors and sheriffs will be elected in 2019. The Appeal: Political Report welcomes you to the new year by introducing what’s ahead. Nationwide: Will the 2019 elections do justice to how local politics shapes mass incarceration? Queens, Pittsburgh, Arlington, and more: Where to look in […]
In This Edition of the Political Report December 20, 2018: Pennsylvania: Spotlight on the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association Missouri: How activists helped change St. Louis Nevada: State prepares to reform its disenfranchisement rules, but will it go further? New Jersey, New York, Oregon: Reviewing legislative debates You can visit the Appeal: Political Report website to […]
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 […]
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, […]
The Appeal: Political Report digs into efforts to expand Medicaid in GA, ID, and NE, disenfranchisement in MS, and two new NH prosecutors.
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 […]
How Tuesday’s elections might impact key aspects of the criminal justice system.
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 […]
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 […]
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: […]
In This Edition of the Political Report October 11, 2018: Local officials wield great power over a county’s immigration policies. Many of their decisions escape widespread attention, but the organizing against ICE partnerships broke through in primaries this year, helping topple incumbent sheriffs in Milwaukee and in Charlotte, North Carolina. The scope of local immigration enforcement […]
In This Edition of the Political Report October 5, 2018: California: Three new laws provide thousands an opportunity to have old convictions vacated, expunged, or reduced California: (More) new laws limit prosecution of children, increase police transparency Maine: Portland DA candidates at odds on even basic reform steps New Mexico: Doña Ana sheriff race puts […]
In This Edition of the Political Report September 27, 2018: New Jersey: Bergen County sheriff resigns after racist remarks. What’s next? Massachusetts and New York: Incumbents lose Democratic primaries, continue reelection bids Oklahoma: Can a candidate for prosecutor make Payne and Logan counties “a mecca for criminal justice reform?” Washington: Challenger to Seattle’s chief prosecutor […]
In This Edition of the Political Report September 20, 2018: New York Democrats closed the primary season by rejecting a sheriff known for his aggressive practices and several senators who supported tougher sentencing. I explore what’s next in New York, and look into general elections in California and Maryland. New York: Alessandra Biaggi and Zellnor […]
In This Edition of the Political Report September 13, 2018: Governor Jerry Brown must soon decide the fate of a series of criminal justice reforms that the California legislature adopted in August. I also review Delaware and Rhode Island’s primaries, and look ahead to general elections in Plymouth and Tulsa counties. Primary results: Kathleen Jennings […]
In This Edition of the Political Report September 6, 2018: Massachusetts Democrats chose to transform Berkshire and Suffolk counties’ approach to criminal justice issues, selecting candidates who ran for district attorney on ambitious reform agendas. Today I also profile upcoming elections in Delaware and New York—as well a new tool launched by the ACLU. Massachusetts: Transformative […]
In This Edition of the Political Report August 30, 2018: Massachusetts hosts three Democratic primaries for district attorney on Sept. 4 that all testify to the transformed tone of many prosecutorial elections. Each features candidates running on far-reaching reform platforms—raising the specter of concurrent candidacies splitting voters inclined to support reform—and each reshape the state’s […]
In This Edition of the Political Report August 23, 2018: Florida heads to the polls on Aug. 28. Most of its sheriffs and prosecutors are only up in 2020, but these midterms could still reshape the Sunshine State’s criminal justice landscape. Today I preview a few of Florida’s upcoming elections—and I also delve into a […]
In This Edition of the Political Report August 16, 2018: Initiatives to legalize marijuana scored a big victory in Oklahoma in June and face their next test in Michigan in November. Today, I’ll explore these states’ marijuana debates, and I’ll also review significant recent elections in Minnesota, Missouri, Vermont, and Wisconsin: Aug. 14 primary results: […]
In This Edition of the Political Report The newsletter we sent out inadvertently contained some of last week’s copy. Here is the corrected version! The Aug. 7 defeat of St. Louis County’s incumbent prosecutor, four years after Michael Brown’s shooting, is transformative for criminal justice in Missouri. But new elections are already around the corner: […]
In This Edition of the Political Report Four years after Michael Brown’s death, the Ferguson protests are resonating in St. Louis County’s Aug. 7 elections. Today, you’ll read about those primaries and other local stories: Georgia: Criminal justice reform a defining issue in governor’s race Missouri: St. Louis prosecutor faces first opponent since Ferguson protests […]
In This Edition of the Political Report Alabama’s governor reformed a practice that enables some sheriffs to profit from money meant to feed people in jail—but much work remains to end the practice altogether. You’ll read about this and other local stories in today’s newsletter: Alabama: As the governor reforms sheriff payments, all eyes on […]
In This Edition of the Political Report This newsletter highlights the stakes of under-the-radar elections, but one obstacle to championing criminal justice reform in the electoral arena is the large share of local elections that go uncontested. Today, I’ll take a deeper dive into the scope of that phenomenon, and you will also see how […]
Welcome to The Appeal: Political Report District attorneys, sheriffs, and other law enforcement officials wield immense power over the criminal justice system. A series of paradigm-shifting victories for candidates championing significant reform has reshaped district attorney and sheriff elections, and issues relating to mass incarceration, police misconduct, and immigration enforcement have grown more salient in […]