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.
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
“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.
The End of Roe
Religious Freedom Demands That Women Be Denied Birth Control, Trump Administration Tells Supreme Court
Trump’s rules would allow nearly any employer to deny birth control coverage, a costly imposition as the nation heads into a coronavirus-induced recession.
Missouri’s Attorney General Is Fighting for the Right to Keep an Innocent Man in Prison
Despite ample evidence that Lamar Johnson was wrongfully convicted, Eric Schmitt is sparing no effort to keep him locked up as the coronavirus spreads.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Prisons Launch "Absurd" Attempt to Detect Coronavirus in Inmate Phone Calls
Jails and prisons in at least three states are using software called Verus, financed by Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy, to scan calls for Covid-19 keywords.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Murder Victim’s Mother Begs Court to Release Death Row Inmate Likely Sick With Covid-19
Prosecutors agree that Walter Ogrod was wrongfully convicted. But a Philadelphia judge refuses to release him, despite his diminishing health.