BlueLeaks
The Junk Science Cops Use to Decide You’re Lying
Leaked documents detail law enforcement trainings in lie detection techniques that have been discredited by scientists.
Jordan Smith
Jordan Smith is a state and national award-winning investigative journalist based in Kansas City, Missouri. She has covered the criminal legal system for more than 25 years and, during that time, has developed a reputation as a resourceful and dogged reporter with a talent for analyzing complex social and legal issues. She spent more than 20 years reporting in Texas where she was regarded as one of the best investigative reporters in the state. Her investigative work in wrongful conviction cases has helped to exonerate six people. A longtime staff writer for the Austin Chronicle, her work has also appeared in The Nation, the Crime Report, and the Texas Observer, among other places.
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Protests for Black Lives
Reform Prosecutor in Kansas Excluded From “Objective” Task Force on Policing
Prosecutors have long been in lockstep with police. Across the country, prosecutors who challenge that status quo face aggressive institutional pushback.
The End of Roe
Supreme Court Says Trump Can Roll Back Access to Birth Control Under the Affordable Care Act
While the administration wins for now, the court’s opinions signal more litigation to come on the question of the ACA’s birth control mandate.
Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Rights but Leaves the Door Open to New Challenges
Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the fifth vote to overturn a Louisiana law, but his opinion still raised concerns among reproductive rights advocates.
The End of Roe
The Fight to Protect Abortion Access Amid the Pandemic
As the public health crisis continues, providers confront anti-abortion protesters and politicians exploiting the outbreak to undermine reproductive health.
Protests for Black Lives
“This Has to Stop”: Court Rejects Qualified Immunity for Officers Who Shot Wayne Jones 22 Times
Although police often make split-second decisions, “we expect them to do so with respect for the dignity and worth of black lives,” the judge wrote.
Protests for Black Lives
Police Attacks on Protesters With "Less Than Lethal" Weapons Result in Life-Threatening Injuries
People demonstrating on the streets, or following along online, don’t need studies to know that less-lethal weaponry isn’t safe — particularly in crowds.
Walter Ogrod Sees Wrongful Conviction Overturned After 23 Years on Pennsylvania’s Death Row
Ogrod developed symptoms of Covid-19 as a Philadelphia judge repeatedly delayed his case. Now, he will finally be released.
The Coronavirus Crisis
A Public Defender Fights to Save His Two Incarcerated Brothers From Covid-19
Lance Wilson is the lead plaintiff in a class-action suit against the Bureau of Prisons for its negligent response to the pandemic.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Reopening Missouri Amid the Pandemic Means Executing a Possibly Innocent Man
The coronavirus has stalled executions in other states, but Missouri intends to kill Walter Barton on May 19 — despite unresolved questions about his case.