“We have our jury.” Seven men and five women have been selected to sit in judgment of former President Donald Trump in his “hush money” election interference case in New York CIty. Six alternate jurors will also be selected. NBC News Earlier on Thursday, one prospective juror asked to be released because of concerns about her own safety. The Washington Post Those concerns prompted the trial judge in the case, Juan Merchan, to warn journalists not to publish so many identifying details about potential jurors. The New York Times More: Prosecutors say Trump has already violated the gag order at least seven times by attacking witnesses, potential jurors, and others. Politico
Motions denied. The federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump in Florida denied dismissal motions filed by the former president’s two co-defendants. The Washington Post A federal judge in Washington, D.C. rejected Trump’s attempts to delay Jan. 6-related civil lawsuits against him. PBS The prosecution of “fake electors” — Trump supporters who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election — is proceeding in three states and will likely be initiated in two others. The New York Times More testimony that Trump refused to push military officials and others to quell the Jan. 6 insurrection. Politico
There are no flyers telling migrants to vote for Joe Biden. Baseless claims about voting conspiracies highlight the challenges humanitarian organizations face as they try to help asylum-seekers and other migrants near the border in Mexico. The Associated Press How the Biden administration and the Trump administration compare on border crossings and immigration. Christian Science Monitor More: Business is booming in Eagle Pass, Texas, thanks to a flood of law enforcement agents and National Guard members who have come to patrol the border. The Wall Street Journal
A nation divided in its libraries. In recent years, several Republican-led states — including Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Indiana — have moved to strip librarians of protections against prosecutions for possessing or sharing obscene materials. Lawmakers in several states run by Democrats — including Connecticut, California, and New Jersey — have moved in the opposite direction in recent years, trying to shore up legal protections for librarians, especially school librarians facing hostile, censorious school boards. The Washington Post TMP Context: The books banned in your state’s prisons. The Marshall Project
New York City police officers arrested over 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators at a tent encampment at Columbia University, one day after school leaders told members of Congress they would quell student protests over the war in Gaza. The New York Times
James Parker was granted parole in New Hampshire on Thursday after spending more than half his life behind bars for his role in the 2001 stabbing deaths of two Dartmouth professors. He was 16 when he was charged. Since then, Parker, now almost 40, has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and is involved in several prison programs. The Associated Press
Jurors in Arizona are now deliberating in the case of a rancher accused of second-degree murder after fatally shooting an unarmed man, an undocumented immigrant, in January 2023. Defense attorneys for George Kelly say he acted in self-defense. Courthouse News
There appears to be no evidence that police officials in Chicago, Illinois, knew that the five cops who fatally shot Dexter Reed last month after a traffic stop had racked up three dozen prior complaints against them. WTTW
National Rifle Association executives have agreed to reform its charitable arm as part of a settlement with Washington, D.C., over the gun lobby’s financial practices. The deal precludes a trial in the district’s case that was supposed to begin later this month. The Washington Post
No wonder Trump was sleeping in the courtroom this week. The first few days of the former president’s “hush money” election interference trial in New York were more mundane than expected. The Atlantic More: “The evidence of deliberate falsification of records is going to be very strong.” The New York Times
Let’s talk about it. “What is needed is an honest conversation about why so many Americans feel so scared and alone that they view a relatively nonthreatening crowd — desperate, low-skilled non-English-speaking migrants — as such an existential menace.” The Bulwark
Complaining about crime when you are a criminal defendant is a choice. Trump “keeping classified documents gets a shrug, but the specter of tattooed immigrants lying in wait in the dingy streets of New York is indelible. That the former happened and the latter is wildly overheated is neither here nor there.” The Washington Post
Don’t count out Deray yet. The U.S. Supreme Court didn’t agree that protest organizers can be sued for the misconduct of protesters. It signaled that it wants a ruling that has imperiled Black Lives Matter leader Deray McKesson to be reconsidered in light of new precedent. The New Republic
Time to free Melissa Lucio in Texas. She was wrongfully convicted of murdering her infant child after a trial marked by prosecutorial misconduct. It’s time she is reunited with her children, whose exculpatory testimony was never presented to jurors. Houston Chronicle
False testimony in a capital case. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday resentenced Tomas Gallo to life in prison because he is too “intellectually disabled” to be executed. Gallo spent two decades on death row following a 2004 murder trial. The U.S. Supreme Court purported to outlaw the execution of “intellectually disabled” people in 2002. The Texas Tribune Related: Read the ruling. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Locked in, priced out. Here is a first-of-its-kind prison commissary list, with prices, covering 46 states. More proof that incarcerated people are forced to pay far more for many goods than people not behind bars. The Appeal TMP Context: Why inflation price hikes are even worse behind bars. The Marshall Project
Black prisoners are twice as likely to face botched executions as White prisoners, a new report from a capital abolition group contends. NPR But the group says more research is needed to explain why. The New York Times TMP Context: New execution methods, old problems. The Marshall Project
“Peace officers” abuse residents of homeless shelters in New York City. And, when they are caught, they often receive light punishment and are back at their posts quickly, even in cases where homeless residents were physically assaulted. MuckRock
The “Blame-The-Wife” defense. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, charged with bribery, may try to blame his wife, a co-defendant in the case, as part of his defense, unsealed court papers suggest. Nadine Menendez will be tried later this year. Robert Menendez is scheduled to be tried next month. The Washington Post
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