What an arraignment is, and what happens next
An arraignment is the first court hearing where a defendant hears the formal charges and enters a plea, and in most cases it is over in minutes.
Aleksandr Komarov
How accurate police facial recognition is, according to the federal tests
Isabel DuarteFBI reports violent crime fell 3 percent in 2023; what the data can and cannot say
The FBI's 2023 crime statistics show violent crime down about 3 percent from 2022, with murder down sharply — but the numbers depend on how many agencies actually reported.
Asha VenkataswamyHow accurate is police facial recognition, according to the studies
Isabel DuarteThe briefing
What changed, what the primary record says, and what remains uncertain.
How accurate is facial recognition software, according to the studies
Isabel DuarteHow bail works, and what actually decides who goes free before trial
Aleksandr KomarovWhat a federal detention hearing is, and how judges decide
Asha VenkataswamyHow chain of custody works, and what happens when it breaks
Asha VenkataswamyHow accurate is fingerprint matching, according to the studies
Malik JohnsonWhat bail is, and how a judge decides whether to set it
Aarya KapoorCrime
Why single-cause explanations of the crime drop rarely survive scrutiny
Per FBI published data, murder fell roughly 12 percent in 2023 and about 14 percent more in 2024 — and no single policy, policing change, or economic factor accounts for a decline that size across the whole country.
Malik JohnsonWhat clearance data shows about homicide cases going cold
Malik JohnsonHow hate crime counts are collected, and why underreporting persists
Malik JohnsonWhat recidivism rates measure, and what the number misses
Malik JohnsonHow seasonal patterns show up in crime data, and which ones hold
Malik JohnsonLegal
How expungement and sealing work, and who qualifies
Isabel DuarteWhat a mistrial is, and what happens after one is declared
Isabel DuarteHow statutes of limitations work in criminal cases, and when the clock stops
Isabel DuarteWhat mens rea means, and why intent matters in criminal law
Isabel DuarteHow appeals work, and what a standard of review actually decides
Isabel DuarteEnforcement
What de-escalation policies require, and how compliance is measured
July 30 · Asha Venkataswamy
How early intervention systems flag officer conduct
July 7 · Asha Venkataswamy
What crime pattern analysis units do, and the privacy questions they raise
June 14 · Asha Venkataswamy
How civilian oversight boards get power, and where they hit limits
May 23 · Asha VenkataswamySoftware
What courts require before probabilistic genotyping reaches a jury
Probabilistic genotyping software turns complex DNA mixtures into likelihood ratios; since the PCAST report of 2016, courts have demanded validation studies first.
Isabel DuarteHow discovery platforms handle the volume of body camera evidence
Isabel DuarteWhat redaction software does before police footage is released
Isabel DuarteHow DNA database searches work in CODIS and familial searching
Isabel DuarteWhat case management software does for prosecutors and defense counsel
Isabel DuarteCases
How the Boeing 737 MAX criminal case was resolved, and later challenged
Aarya KapoorWhat the Arbery case's federal hate crime convictions established
Aarya KapoorHow the Purdue Pharma criminal case ended, and what came after
Aarya KapoorWhat the college admissions bribery case showed about federal fraud charges
Aarya KapoorHow the Murdaugh double murder trial concluded in six weeks
Aarya KapoorJustice News
How the SEC whistleblower program works, and what a tip is worth
August 10 · Asha Venkataswamy
Clemency in 2026: what the Justice Department's pardon records show
August 9 · Asha Venkataswamy
How the Supreme Court chooses which criminal cases to hear
July 18 · Asha Venkataswamy