Prisons were death traps during the depths of the coronavirus, new data confirms. People in prison died at more than three times the rate of the free population in 2020, according to a new national study. A Marshall Project review of the data shows that the mortality rate behind bars soared in 2020. Even the obviously deadly peril COVID-19 brought to people living in cramped, dirty conditions (often without adequate medical care) was not enough to convince most corrections officials or elected politicians to release prisoners — especially older and vulnerable ones — in order to save their lives. TMP’s Anna Flagg, Jamiles Lartey and Shannon Heffernan have our story. The Marshall Project
A three-hour “trial” where no one expected a conviction. The evidence-free impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas began and ended on Wednesday in the U.S. Senate. The Washington Post House Republicans pressed against Mayorkas based not on any “high crimes or misdemeanors” but on immigration policy choices made by the Biden administration. The two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas were dismissed along party lines. No witnesses testified. NBC News Related: A reminder that it is already illegal under federal law for an undocumented immigrant to cast a ballot. The Associated Press
The justices have another chance to protect a defendant from poor lawyering. The U.S. Supreme Court heard argument on Wednesday in a death penalty case marked by claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. Law360 An Arizona jury convicted Danny Lee Jones of a 1992 double murder, following a trial in which he was represented by a public defender with no experience in capital cases. Jones says his sentence, not his conviction, should be overturned. Arizona Republic Related: Read the transcript of Wednesday’s argument. U.S. Supreme Court TMP Context: The mercy workers who fight for mitigation. The Marshall Project
A day off at the Trump trial. The New York judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s “hush money” election interference case used Wednesday to conduct business in his other cases. Politico Trump was incorrect as a matter of law when he complained about the number of challenges lawyers can make during jury selection. NBC News One prospective juror told the court on Tuesday that he knew members of the so-called Central Park Five, a group of Black and Latino teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of rape and assault decades ago. Politico Scenes from inside the courtroom. Just Security Another courtroom dispatch. Lawfare
Leo Schofield, Jr., whose case was the subject of the true-crime “Bone Valley” podcast, will be freed from prison on April 30 after his parole was granted by Florida corrections officials. Lakeland Ledger Schofield has spent 37 years behind bars for the 1987 murder of his wife. The successful podcast raised new evidence that Schofield was wrongfully convicted. The New York Times
Gun violence is down sharply in Buffalo, New York — the result of a coordinated, collaborative effort between state and local officials, community groups and violence interrupters. The Trace
The family of a woman who was murdered in 2019 is furious with police officials in Austin, Texas, who failed to test DNA samples and other direct evidence linking the murder to a suspect who confessed to it last year. NBC News
Three district attorneys in Georgia filed a lawsuit this week, challenging a commission created by Republican lawmakers to discipline and remove local prosecutors. The Washington Post
A former U.S. Army financial counselor stole millions from widows and children who were the beneficiaries of deceased soldiers’ life insurance funds. This week in New Jersey, Caz Craffy pleaded guilty to federal charges. He will be sentenced in August. The Washington Post
William Barr’s legacy. Donald Trump’s “hush money” election interference trial could have — should have — taken place years ago*.* Another reminder that former U.S. Attorney General William Barr protected Trump from prosecution over and over again. The New Republic
Much ado about nothing. The evidence-free impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas makes a mockery of the House of Republicans. MSNBC
Corruption and the Supreme Court. “The Court’s rulings have helped promote a radical vision of a government filled with powerful people, who are seemingly unaccountable despite taking unlimited gifts, loans, and other benefits from individuals who seek access and influence. It has helped foster a culture of corruption and impunity in the halls of power.” Just Security
More trouble with FISA, or Section 702, the federal provision that authorizes warrantless surveillance, as details emerge about a dispute over data centers. The New York Times More: Background on the congressional debate over Section 702. Lawfare
A mess in Massachusetts. The Karen Read murder case is messy enough. Now, the U.S. attorney’s office in that state has convened a grand jury to investigate how police and local prosecutors handled the case. The Boston Globe
The Justice Department is expected to pay about $100 million to 100 victims of Larry Nassar, the former national women’s gymnastics team doctor, over the FBI’s failure to adequately investigate allegations against him. The DOJ’s inspector general found many faults with the way the FBI handled the case nearly a decade ago. The Wall Street Journal
Theodore Kaczynski, the “Unabomber,” was suffering from late-stage rectal cancer at the time of his suicide last June inside a cell at a federal medical prison in North Carolina, his autopsy reveals. Kaczynski, 81, was serving a life-without-parole sentence for a string of deadly bombings. NBC News
A federal judge in New York has denied a request by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, to be allowed phone calls and visits with his daughters. Guzmán is serving a life sentence at the “Supermax” federal penitentiary in Colorado for drug trafficking, money laundering and other gun-related crimes. CBS News
What would Bobby and Jack Kennedy think? Two children of Robert Kennedy — the slain U.S. senator and 1968 presidential candidate — say they oppose the reelection of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón because of his positions toward crime victims. NBC News
A new phrase enters the legal lexicon: “Forum-shaming.” James Ho, a Trump-nominated federal appeals court judge, criticizes attempts to limit “judge-shopping” or “forum-shopping” in politically charged cases. He made his comments in a speech in Texas this week. Reuters
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