What plea bargaining is, and why most cases never reach trial
Plea agreements resolve the overwhelming majority of American criminal cases. Here is how the negotiation works, what a defendant gives up, and why judges must still approve the deal.
Cases
Cases coverage from Daily Detective News.
What bail is, and how a judge decides whether to set it
A federal court primer on the initial hearing, the factors a judge weighs, and what happens to a defendant who cannot pay.
How the Boeing 737 MAX criminal case was resolved, and later challenged
A deferred prosecution agreement in 2021, a rejected guilty plea in December 2024, and a dismissal in November 2025 — United States v. Boeing ran the full corporate-crime cycle.
What the Arbery case's federal hate crime convictions established
Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William Bryan were convicted of federal hate crime charges on February 22, 2022 — after the state murder convictions.
How the Purdue Pharma criminal case ended, and what came after
Purdue's 2007 federal guilty plea for misbranding OxyContin was the beginning; the 2020 plea, the bankruptcy, and the Sackler settlements followed a separate track.
What the college admissions bribery case showed about federal fraud charges
Operation Varsity Blues ended with Rick Singer's six-year sentence in January 2023 — and with acquittals that showed the theory's limits.