Courts
An Eye on the American Judicial System
Will Extreme Spending and Partisanship Undermine Trust in State Supreme Courts?
The millions in campaign funding poured into the Wisconsin Supreme Court election spotlights the increasing partisanship around these supposedly neutral court roles. It also feeds a growing concern nationally about the independence of state high courts.
ProPublica Updates Supreme Connections Database With Previously Missing Disclosures
We’ve added more information about the Supreme Court justices’ finances, including newly uncovered filings from Clarence Thomas from the 1990s and Samuel Alito’s latest disclosure.
North Carolina Supreme Court Candidate Wants Military Absentee Votes Tossed. Years Earlier, That’s How He Voted.
Republican Jefferson Griffin is trying to overturn his election loss by asking the North Carolina Supreme Court to toss 5,500 military and overseas absentee ballots. He used the same method to vote in 2019 and 2020.
The Neverending Case: How 10 Years of Delays Have Prevented a “Horrendous” Sexual Assault Allegation From Going to Trial
Four different judges have agreed to delay the trial more than 70 times in total. We pieced together a timeline of the delays using audio recordings and logs from every hearing.
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N.C. Lawmakers Move to Stop Votes From Being Discarded Based on Postelection Rule Changes
Spurred by ProPublica’s reporting, Democrats have introduced a measure designed to block a right-wing strategy to disallow ballots after they were cast. It’s being used to try to upend the results of a key state Supreme Court race.
Alaska Supreme Court Places New Limits on Pretrial Delays
The move follows an investigation by ProPublica and the Anchorage Daily News that found some cases have taken as long as a decade to reach juries, potentially violating the rights of victims and defendants alike.
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Alaska Judge Vows to Reduce Trial Delays: “We Must, and We Will, Improve”
Chief Justice Susan M. Carney’s comments follow ProPublica and Anchorage Daily News reporting that found the median time to resolve the most serious felonies in Alaska was three years in 2023 — triple the time it took a decade before.
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