legal system
Our Brains on Trial
Brain scans have already been used as evidence in hundreds of court cases, often in life-or-death situations.
What I Saw While Spending 16 Hours in Manhattan Criminal Court
Every day, hundreds of disgruntled defendants, overworked lawyers, and indifferent cops and judges flow through the 17-floor concrete beast that squats in lower Manhattan.
Baltimore's Criminal Justice System Is Seriously Overloaded Thanks to the Arrest of Protesters
"Courts are not supposed to shut down, especially when you're arresting hundreds of people in a moment of crisis," one legal expert told us.
Four Former Blackwater Mercenaries Are Going to Prison for Slaughtering Iraqi Civilians
Mercenaries have been a trademark of American foreign policy since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but at least four of those guys are paying a price for treating Iraqis like something other than fellow humans.
A Judge Decided the Eric Garner Grand Jury Proceedings Should Stay Secret
State Supreme Court Justice William E. Garnett was unpersuaded by arguments that the public has a right to know how the grand jury came to its decision not to indict NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo.
This Man Got Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail for Picking Up Trash Too Early
Due to a work-related noise violation in a posh, ultra-privatized Atlanta suburb, Kevin McGill is spending his next 14 weekends behind bars.
Why There's No Uber for Sex Work
I talked to sex workers and advocates about why an app is not the solution to their problems.
How an FBI Informant Sent a Radical Environmentalist to Prison, and How He Got Out Again
The true story of a failed bomb plot, an 18-year-old informant, and a massive fuck-up by the US government.
Why Can't Ferguson Grand Jurors Talk About the Darren Wilson Case?
A 1990 Supreme Court ruling suggests the grand juror suing Missouri for the right to speak out has a decent shot at victory.
A Grand Jury Just Declined to Indict the Cop Who Killed Eric Garner with a Choke Hold
Little more than a week after a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, another controversial white cop involved in a violent death got off.
Florida's Greatest Pot-Smuggling Racecar Driver Just Got Out of Prison
Randy Lanier, who made his name as a pro driver before being indicted for smuggling a million pounds of weed, is once again a free man. But why did he suddenly catch a break after more than 25 years?
Aaron Swartz and 21st-Century Martyrdom
Brian Knappenberger's documentary The Internet's Own Boy speaks to Aaron Swartz's martyrdom and a deep strain of malevolence in American culture.