Can justice ever be sorted out?

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The Big Story
Mon. Oct 12, 2020

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He’d Waited Decades to Argue His Innocence. She Was a Judge Who Believed in Second Chances. Nobody Knew She Suffered from Alzheimer’s. <[link removed]> Nelson Cruz’s family was so sure Judge ShawnDya Simpson would free him, they brought a change of clothes to his hearing. Then everything took an unexpected turn. Can justice ever be sorted out? by Joe Sexton

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Inside the Utility Company Lobbying Blitz That Will Hike Electric Bills <[link removed]> Democrats who campaigned against Virginia’s largest public utility, Dominion Energy, swept into office. Then the company’s lobbying efforts kicked into high gear. Here’s how it fought against legislation meant to lower residents’ electric bills. by Patrick Wilson, Richmond Times-Dispatch <[link removed]>

She Was Afraid of Her Lawyer. Then the Text Messages Started. <[link removed]> Leah Kerwin started receiving daily texts and videos explicitly requesting oral sex or intercourse. They came from her court-appointed attorney, who had already been suspended for other misconduct. by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor <[link removed]>

Illinois Has Had COVID-19 Outbreaks in 44 Schools but Won’t Say Where They’ve Occurred <[link removed]> More children are testing positive for COVID-19 than they were between March and mid-August, when schools shut down. As parents weigh the safety of in-person learning, Illinois has not published information about the virus’s spread in schools. by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune <[link removed]>

DOJ Frees Federal Prosecutors to Take Steps That Could Interfere With Elections, Weakening Long-standing Policy <[link removed]> In an internal announcement, the Justice Department created an exception to a decadeslong policy meant to prevent prosecutors from taking overt investigative steps that might affect the outcome of the vote. by Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott <[link removed]>

In Florida, the Gutting of a Landmark Law Leaves Few Felons Likely to Vote <[link removed]> State officials don’t know how many felons are registered or eligible to vote. So we did our own analysis and found only a very small percentage of them will be able to cast ballots this election. Some could face prosecution if they do. by Lawrence Mower and Langston Taylor, Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times <[link removed]>

Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Its Poorest Residents <[link removed]> Maine is the only state in the country with no public defender system. Instead, legal services for the poor are left to private attorneys, who face disproportionately high amounts of discipline, and an office that doesn’t supervise them. by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor, with data analysis by Agnel Philip <[link removed]>

The Justice Department May Have Violated Attorney General Barr’s Own Policy Memo <[link removed]> In a memo from May, the attorney general reminded Justice Dept. prosecutors to avoid partisan politics. Then a U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania announced an election investigation that had partisan overtones. by Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott <[link removed]>

Debt Collectors Have Made a Fortune This Year. Now They’re Coming for More. <[link removed]> After a pause for the pandemic, debt buyers are back in the courts, suing debtors by the thousands. by Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen <[link removed]>

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