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Criminal Justice System

New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams (Photo: Jason Willams/Facebook Page)

Peoples Coalition Helped Elect New Orleans' First Progressive District Attorney

Members knocked on doors, made thousands of calls and texted to get the word out about the importance of the election and the important issues in the DA race.

Bill Quigley ·

Anti-death penalty activist Judy Coode of Pax Christi International demonstrates in front of the U.S. Justice Department's Robert F. Kennedy Building July 13, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

It's Time to End the Federal Death Penalty

Ending the death penalty should be part of comprehensive justice reform in the United States and part of our current reckoning with racial inequality.

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings ·

Police officers gather to remove activists during an anti death penalty protest in front of the US Supreme Court January 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

'A Moral Imperative': Business Leaders Demand Death Penalty Abolition Worldwide

"The tide is turning, and now it is the responsibility of business leaders to speak up and stand together on the right side of history."

Brett Wilkins, staff writer ·

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed a sweeping criminal justice reform package. (Photo: JB Pritzker/Twitter)

'All Other States Should Follow': Advocates Applaud as Illinois Approves Elimination of Cash Bail

The move comes as part of a broader measure featuring what the ACLU called "important changes to policing and our criminal justice system."

Jessica Corbett, staff writer ·

Led by Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader over the past four years, Trump managed to appoint 231 federal judges, plus three new Supreme Court justices, an enviable record.(Photo: Getty/Stock Photo/Peter Dazeley)

Are Judges Just Politicians in Robes?

Having seen that appointed judges refuse to toe the party line at the federal level, the GOP has decided to employ partisan gerrymandering to change the way judges are elected at the state level.

James D. Zirin ·

Over the last four years Trump has repeatedly been denounced for acting as though he were above the law. We can’t allow a supposed need for “unity” to confirm that he was right. (Photo: Shutterstock)

GOP Senators Said Trump Was Culpable, but a "Private Citizen" Now. Fine—Indict Him Like One.

Impunity is a disease that rots the rule of law.

Mitchell Zimmerman ·

U.S. President Joe Biden signs executives orders related to his racial equity agenda in the State Dining Room of the White House on January 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden signed executive actions Tuesday on housing and justice reforms, including a directive to the Department of Justice to end its use of private prisons. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Biden's Private Prison Reform Must Include Immigration Detention Centers

To fully address profit-driven punishment, the Biden administration will need to take aim at every tendril of the private prison industry.

Rebekah Entralgo ·

Bodycam video released by the Rochester Police Department shows officers pepper spraying a 9-year-old girl after handcuffing her. (Image: Screenshot/Rochester Police Dept. footage)

'These Officers Should Be Fired and Indicted': Outrage After Rochester Police Pepper Spray Handcuffed 9-Year-Old Child

"Just pepper spray her at this point," one officer can be heard saying about a young girl already in the backseat of a cruiser, just before another officer says, "I got her. I got her."

Jon Queally, staff writer ·

Prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin are seeking modification of alleged killer Kyle Rittenhouse's bond after he was seen drinking in a bar with apparent supporters of the Proud Boys on January 5, 2021. (Photo: Kenosha County DA)

Bond Modification Sought After Alleged Kenosha Killer Kyle Rittenhouse Drinks Beer, Flashes White Power Signs With So-Called 'Proud Boys'

"The defendant's continued association with members of a group that prides itself on violence, and the use of their symbols, raises the significant possibility of future harm."

Brett Wilkins, staff writer ·

Marijuana legalization advocates and members of community groups attend a rally against marijuana arrests in front of One Police Plaza on June 13, 2012 in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Because 'Time for Urgent, Bold Change Is Now,' 200+ Groups Tell Biden to End Failed War on Drugs

"We are urging the administration to abandon criminalization as a means to address substance use, and instead ensure universal access to equitable evidence-based solutions rooted in racial and economic justice and compassion."

Kenny Stancil, staff writer ·