During the investigation for this series, reporters for ProPublica reviewed a decade’s worth of court documents and found 30 instances in which state or federal courts identified misconduct serious enough to throw out a conviction. Yet hardly anyone involved in the prosecutions was held accountable.
How the Feds Failed to Integrate Westchester County
Far from being a new chapter, the tale of Westchester replicates the long history of the Fair Housing Act, in which federal officials have repeatedly backed down from strong enforcement when confronted by determined local opposition.
A Son Lost in Iraq, But Where is the Casualty Report?
Nine years later, Jim Butler is still waiting for a report he may never get.
Why You Should Care About the Drugs Your Doctor Prescribes
For most of us, evaluating a doctor’s prescribing habits is just about impossible. Even doctors themselves have little way of knowing whether their drug choices fall in line with those of their peers.
The Lasting Damage of a Rogue Prosecutor’s Final Case
It is impossible to know how many prosecutors get reported to the state’s disciplinary panels for alleged misconduct. What is clear is that the appellate judges who overturn convictions because of misconduct don’t routinely refer the offending prosecutors to the disciplinary committees.
PubNotes: Key Takeaways From ProPublica’s Fair Housing Investigation
An overview of the U.S. government’s many failed attempts to promote integrated housing since the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968.
The 24 States That Have Sweeping Self-Defense Laws Just Like Florida’s
In Florida, there is no duty to retreat. You can “stand your ground” outside your home. In fact, If self-defense is invoked in Florida, the person is immune from criminal or civil prosecution.
Army Admits War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort
The U.S. Army has conceded a significant loss of records documenting battlefield action and other operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and has launched a global search to recover and consolidate field records from the wars.
California Hunger Strike Raises Issue of Force-Feeding on U.S. Soil
The courts have typically ruled that prisons can force-feed an inmate without their consent if it’s needed to maintain the safety and security of the prison.
Who Polices Prosecutors Who Abuse Their Authority? Usually Nobody
A ProPublica analysis of more than a decade’s worth of state and federal court rulings found more than two dozen instances in which judges explicitly concluded that city prosecutors had committed harmful misconduct.
Living Apart: How the Government Betrayed a Landmark Civil Rights Law
A few months after Congress passed a landmark law directing the federal government to dismantle segregation in the nation’s housing, President Nixon’s housing chief began plotting a stealth campaign.
Blacked Out: Reading Between the Lines as Gitmo Lawyers Talk Torture
A recent court hearing at Guantanamo dealt with national security information so secret that the accused was not even allowed in the room: the first completely closed session of the military commission trials under President Obama.
Boys in Custody and the Women Who Abuse Them
The older authority figure wins the trust of the young target by cultivating a false friendship, having heart-to-heart conversations, giving gifts, offering protection. And then the sex ensues, sometimes forced, sometimes seemingly consensual.