“A gifted, kind, young soul who was trying to find some joy and peace in this world.” Before Jordan Neely was choked to death in a New York subway car, before the 30-year-old became a symbol of urban crisis, he was a street performer who specialized in impersonating Michael Jackson. For our latest “Life Inside” installment, his friend, Moses Harper, talked to TMP’s Nicole Lewis about how Neely used public dance to quiet the demons that came from a painful life of loss. The Marshall Project More: “Life Inside: Animated,” part of The Marshall Project/VICE News’ show Inside Story, examines the justice system through first-person essays brought to life by animated illustrations. The Marshall Project
Far-right Oath Keepers founder sentenced to 18 years after a dramatic courtroom exchange. Stewart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy earlier this year for his orchestral role in the Capitol riot and Jan. 6 insurrection. NBC News Rhodes, a Trump ally who delivered an unrepentant statement before sentencing Thursday, presents “an ongoing threat and a peril to this country and to the republic and to the very fabric of this democracy,” said U.S. District Court Amir Mehta, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. Judge Mehta then handed Rhodes the longest sentence yet for a Capitol rioter or convicted seditionist. The Washington Post
The Justice Department expands anti-profiling rules. Biden officials issued new anti-bias guidelines on Thursday covering thousands more who are part of federal law enforcement investigations. The new guidelines, aimed at removing racial, gender, and other forms of bias, now apply to analysts, lawyers, contractors and others. The rules also include new reporting requirements to try to ensure compliance. The Associated Press TMP Context: State courts are gradually doing more to confront implicit or unconscious bias in jury selection. The Marshall Project
The former president’s men. Longtime Trump advisor Stephen Bannon will stand trial in New York in May for allegedly defrauding donors who paid to construct a private border wall with Mexico that was never built. The New York Times Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has been quietly working on Republican causes while speculation grows over whether he is cooperating with state and federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump. CNN Trump could be held in contempt if he continues to flout a New York judge’s gag order in the hush money case pending against him. Politico
“Prosecutors move on, but fathers don’t.” Sixteen-year-old Corey Stingley was choked to death after being caught shoplifting in a Wisconsin store in 2012. The 135-pound Black teenager was wrestled to the ground by three White customers weighing a total of 550 pounds. Those men were never criminally charged in the case. Prosecutors have refused to hold anyone accountable for Stingley’s death. Now the boy’s father, Craig, is relying on an old state law to circumvent prosecutors and ask a judge directly to order an investigation or authorize an indictment. ProPublica
A Republican-led legislative committee in Texas voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend 20 counts of impeachment against Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general. He is accused of political corruption, retaliation, and abuse of public trust. The Associated Press Related Commentary: Texas Republicans have enabled Paxton for nearly a decade. Now they appear to want him gone. Mother Jones
Alabama legislators did not move forward with a bill that would require unanimous jury verdicts in the sentencing phase of death penalty cases. The state currently allows death sentences where jurors were split 11-1 or 10-2. AL.com
An 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot last weekend by a police officer responding to the boy’s 911 call about domestic disturbance is recovering after being released from the hospital. The victim’s family says the cop who fired the shot should be fired. Body camera video has not yet been released. CNN
Indiana’s prosecution of an abortion doctor was reviewed this week by a medical board. Two of the board members have contributed to the political campaigns of Todd Rokita, the state’s attorney general who is prosecuting the doctor. Indianapolis Star More: The board decided, late Thursday, to fine the doctor $3,000 and issue a letter of reprimand. The Washington Post
Justice reformers were disappointed last September when California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have dramatically reduced the use of solitary confinement in the state. Advocates are trying again this legislative session. Bolts
The right-wing embrace of deadly vigilantism. From Daniel Penny in New York to Daniel Perry in Texas, Republicans have rushed to praise White men who took the law into their own hands. The Bulwark
The people v. Donald Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was wise to strengthen the fraudulent records case against the former president by basing the felony charges against him on alleged false statements to tax authorities. Just Security Related: How CNN failed in its coverage of Special Counsel John Durham’s work. EmptyWheel
The Centers for Disease Control should better track non-fatal gun violence. The National Violent Death Reporting System is already up and running, but it should be extended and improved to cover more acts of gun violence. The Trace More: Both sides in the war over guns claim victories, while gun violence continues to claim its deadly toll. The New York Times
Portraits of grief. Photographs of mass shooting sites are haunting, not just for what they show, but for what’s missing. The Atlantic
After Rachael Rollins. It ended ugly for her — she resigned in disgrace last week amid allegations of ethical violations — but we must not forget the substance of her good work as top prosecutor in Boston and then U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts. Boston Globe
Correction. Thursday’s Opening Statement, written by a Boston Red Sox fan, incorrectly identified the federal prison, FCI Devens, in Massachusetts. We apologize for the error.
Holiday schedule. We are taking Monday off in honor of Memorial Day. The next Opening Statement will be Tuesday, May 30. Enjoy the long weekend.
There’s little accountability in the world of medicine, too. Bribes? Falsifying patient records? Billing the government for unnecessary treatment? Doctors pay their way out of civil liability or criminal jeopardy, under the watchful eye of regulators and prosecutors. Reuters
A 94-year-old law rooted in discrimination survives its latest challenge. A federal appeals court ruled this week that an immigration law used to justify family separations was “neutral as to race.” The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a Nevada trial judge’s ruling that it was racist and unconstitutional for the law to make it a crime to return to the U.S. after deportation. The Associated Press
“I don’t trust our cops.” One year after the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, and with few questions answered about law enforcement’s tepid response to the attack, residents still report low levels of trust and respect for police. Texas Public Radio More: What we know about the shooting, and police response, one year later. Texas Tribune
Sexual violence against women in federal prison. Prosecutors detailed charges against Darrell Smith, a former federal prison guard at FCI Dublin, the women’s prison in California. A grand jury says Smith sexually assaulted at least three victims. Justice Department
Paradise lost. In “Built From the Fire,” Victor Luckerson “combs through layers of soot and ash, the physical and psychological residue of the Tulsa race massacre, which continues to haunt the city’s Black community more than a century after it occurred.” The New York Times
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