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Criminal Justice

Vox’s coverage of advances and failures of the American criminal justice system.

Trump wants to stack the DOJ’s leadership with his personal lawyersTrump wants to stack the DOJ’s leadership with his personal lawyers
Trump 2.0, explained

The incoming president appears committed to placing awesome prosecutorial power in the hands of his loyalists.

By Ian Millhiser
Matt Gaetz, Trump’s uniquely unqualified pick for attorney general, withdrawsMatt Gaetz, Trump’s uniquely unqualified pick for attorney general, withdraws
Trump 2.0, explained

Gaetz was a reckless pick, even by Trump’s standards.

By Ian Millhiser
This one chart foreshadows Trump’s immigration crackdownThis one chart foreshadows Trump’s immigration crackdown
Policy

Investors in private prisons think they’ve hit the jackpot with a second Trump presidency.

By Abdallah Fayyad
The criminal cases against Donald Trump are now basically deadThe criminal cases against Donald Trump are now basically dead
Donald Trump

Turns out all of those indictments were pointless.

By Ian Millhiser
Tough-on-crime laws are winning at the ballot boxTough-on-crime laws are winning at the ballot box
2024 Elections

The backlash to criminal justice reform continues.

By Abdallah Fayyad
The strange case that the Supreme Court keeps refusing to decideThe strange case that the Supreme Court keeps refusing to decide
Supreme Court

A mysterious Supreme Court case could change everything about criminal punishment.

By Ian Millhiser
Welcome to the Drug Issue of The Highlight
The Highlight
By Vox Staff
How marijuana legalization played itself
The HighlightMember Exclusive

Pricey, legal weed is great news — for the black market.

By Lavanya Ramanathan
Weed is now America’s daily drug of choice. No one’s sure what that means.
The HighlightMember Exclusive

Land of the free, home of the blazed.

By Marin Cogan
The entire Texas government is fighting over whether to save a man’s lifeThe entire Texas government is fighting over whether to save a man’s life
Criminal Justice

Robert Roberson was sentenced to die on a theory that’s now widely viewed with skepticism by medical experts.

By Ian Millhiser
These Floridians couldn’t flee Hurricane Milton. They’re incarcerated.These Floridians couldn’t flee Hurricane Milton. They’re incarcerated.
Climate

Multiple Florida jails opted not to evacuate despite being in the storm’s direct trajectory.

By Li Zhou
Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett seem unsure whether to save a man’s lifeBrett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett seem unsure whether to save a man’s life
Supreme Court

It’s unclear how the Supreme Court will resolve an unusually messy death penalty case.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court appears to have found a gun regulation it actually likesThe Supreme Court appears to have found a gun regulation it actually likes
Supreme Court

The justices appear skeptical of “ghost guns.”

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court will decide if Oklahoma must execute a man it doesn’t want to killThe Supreme Court will decide if Oklahoma must execute a man it doesn’t want to kill
Supreme Court

The state’s Republican attorney general took the rare step of asking the Supreme Court to set aside Richard Glossip’s capital conviction.

By Ian Millhiser
The Supreme Court will decide whether to let criminals get guns without a background checkThe Supreme Court will decide whether to let criminals get guns without a background check
Supreme Court

The Court considers legalizing “ghost guns,” untraceable weapons that evade laws intended to keep guns away from criminals.

By Ian Millhiser
What will the Supreme Court unleash on America in its new term?What will the Supreme Court unleash on America in its new term?
Supreme Court

The justices return to Washington after an unforgivable betrayal.

By Ian Millhiser
The urgent, futile calls to halt Marcellus Williams’s execution, explainedThe urgent, futile calls to halt Marcellus Williams’s execution, explained
Criminal Justice

Concerns about evidence handling and bias in jury selection have fueled outcry.

By Li Zhou
America’s unique, enduring gun problem, explained
Gun Violence

The factors that lead to tragedies like the Birmingham shooting are deeply ingrained in US politics, culture, and law.

By Li Zhou, Nicole Narea and 2 more
This book is changing how cities fight gun violence
Politics

Thomas Abt’s Bleeding Out has become foundational in tackling urban violence across the US.

By Marin Cogan
Tyreek Hill’s disturbing detention by police, explainedTyreek Hill’s disturbing detention by police, explained
Criminal Justice

Hill was subject to a violent traffic stop that put another spotlight on police brutality.

By Li Zhou
The precedent-setting push to hold parents responsible for school shootingsThe precedent-setting push to hold parents responsible for school shootings
Policy

First Jennifer and James Crumbley were charged; now it’s Colin Gray, father of the Apalachee school shooting suspect.

By Aja Romano
How to stop mass shootings before they startHow to stop mass shootings before they start
Politics

Apalachee High School in Georgia is the latest in a long list of school shootings. Here’s what experts say can help.

By Marin Cogan
A Trump judge ruled there’s a Second Amendment right to own machine gunsA Trump judge ruled there’s a Second Amendment right to own machine guns
Supreme Court

The Supreme Court’s Bruen decision will keep on creating chaos until it is overruled.

By Ian Millhiser
The “prosecutor vs. felon” line isn’t the slam dunk Team Harris thinks it isThe “prosecutor vs. felon” line isn’t the slam dunk Team Harris thinks it is
Politics

Calling Donald Trump a felon doesn’t hurt him — but it does do real damage to others.

By Abdallah Fayyad
What can be done about this Supreme Court’s very worst decisions?What can be done about this Supreme Court’s very worst decisions?
Supreme Court

It is important to hang onto grudges against the Supreme Court.

By Ian Millhiser
MDMA therapy didn’t get FDA approval. Now what?MDMA therapy didn’t get FDA approval. Now what?
Future Perfect

The end of psychedelic prohibition will have to wait a little while longer.

By Oshan Jarow
Violent crime is plummeting. Why?Violent crime is plummeting. Why?
Policy

Donald Trump says crime is out of control. The facts say otherwise.

By Nicole Narea
What happens when everyone decides they need a gun?
Policy

We are living through an inflection point in America’s relationship with guns. There may be no going back.

By Marin Cogan
Chuck Schumer’s ambitious plan to take the Supreme Court down a pegChuck Schumer’s ambitious plan to take the Supreme Court down a peg
Supreme Court

Schumer wants to engage in jurisdiction stripping, a rarely used tactic that can shrink the Supreme Court’s authority.

By Ian Millhiser
Why the 9/11 plea agreements are such a big dealWhy the 9/11 plea agreements are such a big deal
Politics

It’s the end of a drawn-out legal process, haunted by the failure of the war on terror.

By Ellen Ioanes
Ruthless “cop” or “soft on crime”? Kamala Harris’s record as prosecutor, explained.Ruthless “cop” or “soft on crime”? Kamala Harris’s record as prosecutor, explained.
Vox’s guide to Kamala Harris’s 2024 policies

The vice president’s days as a California prosecutor are difficult to define in clear ideological terms.

By Abdallah Fayyad
What we know about the police killing of Sonya MasseyWhat we know about the police killing of Sonya Massey
Criminal Justice

It adds to a long and disturbing pattern of police violence toward Black Americans.

By Li Zhou
Could a short campaign be exactly what Kamala Harris needs?Could a short campaign be exactly what Kamala Harris needs?
Politics

Dozens of other democracies have short election cycles. Can the Democrats learn something from them?

By Ellen Ioanes
How should we sell psychedelics?How should we sell psychedelics?
Future Perfect

A new report outlines policy options for who gets to sell psychedelics, and who gets to buy them.

By Oshan Jarow
What so many high-profile shootings have in commonWhat so many high-profile shootings have in common
Politics

The Trump assassination attempt and many other public crimes in America are committed by isolated young men.

By Anna North
The crime wave is over but Republicans can’t let goThe crime wave is over but Republicans can’t let go
Politics

The GOP is still pretending that crime is spiraling out of control.

By Abdallah Fayyad
5 causes — and accelerants — of political violence5 causes — and accelerants — of political violence
Politics

While we can’t always predict public political violence, Vox spoke to four experts who can help us understand it.

By Ellen Ioanes
Someone tried to assassinate the former president — and the GOP still won’t talk about guns?Someone tried to assassinate the former president — and the GOP still won’t talk about guns?
Donald Trump

Republicans have been essential to gun safety legislation before. They could do it again.

By Marin Cogan
A right-wing judge just threw out a case against Trump in a brazen abuse of powerA right-wing judge just threw out a case against Trump in a brazen abuse of power
Politics

The classified documents case against Trump hits another major setback before the 2024 election.

By Nicole Narea
Are assassination attempts getting more common?Are assassination attempts getting more common?
World Politics

The attempt on Donald Trump is the latest in a wave of political violence.

By Joshua Keating