Journalist and investigative reporter. Author: Rise of the Warrior Cop. Co-author: The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist. Honorary Duckmaster. Substack: http://radleybalko.substack.com
New at The Watch:
I talked to Aaron Riechlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council about how the MAGA mass deportation plan is likely to play out, whether existing laws will be able to restrain them, and about what keeps him up at night.
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/what-to-watch-for-aaron-reichlin
Stephen Miller and Donald Trump have promised to deport 15 million people. Miller himself compared their plan's scope to the construction of the Panama Canal, and its ruthlessness to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
They couldn’t be any clearer about what they intend.
New at The Watch:
Donald Trump wants to deport more people than the populations of NYC, Chicago, and L.A. combined. It would cost $1 trillion+, and require a force larger than the U.S. Army.
It also can't be done. But that isn't the point. It's about giving his supporters the human suffering they crave.
New from me: Part two of my review of the indigent defense systems in each state examines Connecticut, Delaware, and Colorado.
I also look at how a small but innovative public defender office in the city of Aurora has exposed bad policing and drawn the ire of law-and-order politicians.
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-states-of-public-defense-part
I have a piece in The Atlantic this morning. It's about the frustration of learning that a court has cited your work, but for really bad reasons.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/courts-junk-science-forensics-evidence/677739/
New at The Watch: An excerpt from journalist Steven Hale's beautifully written forthcoming book, Death Row Welcomes You
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/book-excerpt-death-row-welcomes-you
New from me: The third and final part in my series on the garbage documentary "The Fall of Minneapolis," and the pundits and outlets who have amplified it.
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-retconning-of-george-floyd-part-382
New at The Watch: The retconning of George Floyd
My debunking of "The Fall of Minneapolis," the conspiratorial documentary touted by outlets from Tucker Carlson to Bari Weiss's Free Press, which claims that Derek Chauvin was wrongly convicted.
It's utter garbage.
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-retconning-of-george-floyd
New at The Watch: The retconning of George Floyd
My debunking of "The Fall of Minneapolis," the conspiratorial documentary touted by outlets from Tucker Carlson to Bari Weiss's Free Press, which claims that Derek Chauvin was wrongly convicted.
It's utter garbage.
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-retconning-of-george-floyd
New at The Watch: Remembering Craig Watkins, the first black DA in Texas history, and the first DA to demonstrate that a different kind of prosecutor was possible.
I have a long investigative piece at the New Republic on our broken death investigation system.
https://newrepublic.com/article/176956/medical-examiners-shield-violent-cops-scrutiny
This roundup of viciously unjust acts by law enforcement in several states is a reminder that our criminal justice system needs major reform. But apart from a few great reporters like @radleybalko, most of the US press is amplifying the lock-em-up propaganda that passes for policy-making.
Arkansas governor, Trump's former liar-to-the-press, refuses clemency for an obviously not guilty man who was railroaded by the state's disgusting criminal "justice" system.
Great reporting and context, as always, from @radleybalko https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/sarah-huckabee-sanders-denies-clemency
New at The Watch: The first installment of my survey of the indigent defense systems in every state, with a look at the systems in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, and California.
I found some eye-popping stuff.
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-states-of-indigent-defense-part
New at The Watch:
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-perpetual-crisis-in-indigent
New at The Watch:
A sappy, self-indulgent, cliched, and absolutely necessary tribute to my recently deceased pup
This week marks the 10th anniversary of my first book, Rise of the Warrior Cop.
At The Watch, I look back at 10 years of police, protest, and reform -- from Ferguson, Eric Garner and Obama's reforms, to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the Trump backlash.
New at The Watch:
What if we treated wrongful convictions and bad police shootings the way we treat plane crashes?
I talked to John Hollway of the Quattrone Center about sentinel event reviews, or broad, NTSB-like investigations of criminal justice tragedies.
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/what-if-we-treated-wrongful-convictions
I have a piece at the Daily Beast about DeSantis’s clumsy attempt to run to Trump’s right on crime and policing.
