Carrie Johnson
@carriejohnson.bsky.social
Carrie Johnson covers the Justice Department for NPR.
Families of killed men file first U.S. federal lawsuit over drug boat strikes
www.npr.org/2026/01/27/g...
www.npr.org/2026/01/27/g...
Families of killed men file first U.S. federal lawsuit over drug boat strikes
The case filed in Massachusetts is the first lawsuit over the strikes to land in a U.S. federal court since the Trump administration launched a campaign to target vessels off the coast of Venezuela.
www.npr.org
January 27, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Families of killed men file first U.S. federal lawsuit over drug boat strikes
www.npr.org/2026/01/27/g...
www.npr.org/2026/01/27/g...
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
Thirty-one known defendants have been charged in Chicago with non-immigration crimes tied to “Operation Midway Blitz.”
With today’s acquittal, 15 of them have been cleared.
No one has been convicted.
With today’s acquittal, 15 of them have been cleared.
No one has been convicted.
#BREAKING: Federal jury finds Chicago man NOT GUILTY of offering $10K for the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino.
The trial of Juan Espinoza Martinez was the first to result from “Operation Midway Blitz”: chicago.suntimes.com/live/closing...
The trial of Juan Espinoza Martinez was the first to result from “Operation Midway Blitz”: chicago.suntimes.com/live/closing...
January 22, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Thirty-one known defendants have been charged in Chicago with non-immigration crimes tied to “Operation Midway Blitz.”
With today’s acquittal, 15 of them have been cleared.
No one has been convicted.
With today’s acquittal, 15 of them have been cleared.
No one has been convicted.
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
A year ago today, victims of Jan. 6 rioters began receiving automatic notifications that the people who assaulted them were being freed from prison.
January 20, 2026 at 9:36 PM
A year ago today, victims of Jan. 6 rioters began receiving automatic notifications that the people who assaulted them were being freed from prison.
Recovering from his eye surgery
January 19, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Recovering from his eye surgery
You gotta believe
January 19, 2026 at 2:38 AM
You gotta believe
Poor Josh Allen. Awful.
January 18, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Poor Josh Allen. Awful.
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
Seems like a good time to repost this.
The subpoenas are coming! If you are a lawyer who represents journalists and news organizations, or you know someone who is, spread the word.
www.americanbar.org/groups/commu...
www.americanbar.org/groups/commu...
The Subpoenas Are Coming! The Subpoenas Are Coming!
Exploring the Supreme Court’s decision in Branzburg v. Hayes, this article offers a framework for vindicating the press’s constitutional right to resist grand jury subpoenas designed to punish or reta...
www.americanbar.org
January 15, 2026 at 1:49 AM
Seems like a good time to repost this.
Do not check social media on your comp day. I repeat, do not check social media on your comp day.
January 12, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Do not check social media on your comp day. I repeat, do not check social media on your comp day.
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
Former Fed chairs and Treasury secretaries put out a statement on Monday defending Powell after the Justice Department opened up a criminal investigation of the chair, likening the move to what happens in emerging markets jointstatement.substack.com/p/statement-...
January 12, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Former Fed chairs and Treasury secretaries put out a statement on Monday defending Powell after the Justice Department opened up a criminal investigation of the chair, likening the move to what happens in emerging markets jointstatement.substack.com/p/statement-...
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski: “After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion.“
January 12, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski: “After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion.“
Nicolás Maduro will likely argue he's immune from U.S. prosecution one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5668...
🔊 Listen Now: Nicolás Maduro will likely argue he's immune from U.S. prosecution
All Things Considered on NPR One | 4:22
one.npr.org
January 9, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Nicolás Maduro will likely argue he's immune from U.S. prosecution one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5668...
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
JUST IN: Former DoD spokesperson and NBC DOJ correspondent Pete Williams backs NYT lawsuit over rules change that led most Pentagon reporters to turn in their press passes. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
WilliamsPentagonNYT010726
www.documentcloud.org
January 7, 2026 at 7:51 PM
JUST IN: Former DoD spokesperson and NBC DOJ correspondent Pete Williams backs NYT lawsuit over rules change that led most Pentagon reporters to turn in their press passes. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
🎧🎙️On @npr.org All Things Considered discussing @thelap.bsky.social judicial misconduct complaint against Judge Sarah Merriam with @carriejohnson.bsky.social one.npr.org?sharedMediaI...
🔊 Listen Now: In a rare formal complaint, a federal judge is accused of bullying law clerks
All Things Considered on NPR One | 4:21
one.npr.org
December 31, 2025 at 10:32 PM
🎧🎙️On @npr.org All Things Considered discussing @thelap.bsky.social judicial misconduct complaint against Judge Sarah Merriam with @carriejohnson.bsky.social one.npr.org?sharedMediaI...
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
Noticing a modest decline in the federal prison population at close of 2025 sentencinglawandpolicy.wordpress.com/2025/12/31/n...
Noticing a modest decline in the federal prison population at close of 2025
In this post 11+ months ago, on the day that Prez Trump took over from Prez Biden, I flagged that the Biden years saw a modest growth in the federal prison population from 151,646 inmates to 155,39…
sentencinglawandpolicy.wordpress.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Noticing a modest decline in the federal prison population at close of 2025 sentencinglawandpolicy.wordpress.com/2025/12/31/n...
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
Books We Love
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
n.pr
December 27, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
Warm wishes to anyone traversing the airport today
December 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Warm wishes to anyone traversing the airport today
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
Judge Aileen Cannon rejects motions from @knightcolumbia.org and @weareoversight.bsky.social asserting statutory, common law, and constitutional rights of access to Jack Smith's report about Trump's hoarding of classified docs at Mar-a-Lago. knightcolumbia.org/documents/r1...
December 23, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Judge Aileen Cannon rejects motions from @knightcolumbia.org and @weareoversight.bsky.social asserting statutory, common law, and constitutional rights of access to Jack Smith's report about Trump's hoarding of classified docs at Mar-a-Lago. knightcolumbia.org/documents/r1...
Please read this
I met Melissa Hortman in October of 2024. She was smart and kind. I heard about her murder in a LA hotel room and it dropped me to my knees. So I went to Minnesota and talked to her kids, parents, and friends. This is not true crime, this is Melissa in real life. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Melissa Hortman Died in a Shocking Act of Political Violence. This Is the Story of Her Life
Melissa Hortman died in a shocking act of political violence. This is her story
www.rollingstone.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Please read this
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
By my count, Cristal Caballero would be the 14th Operation Midway Blitz defendant to have criminal charges dropped, with 17 defendants remaining. No convictions so far.
Federal prosecutors in Chicago are dropping another case tied to Operation Midway Blitz. This time it's USA v. Cristal Caballero, which had been set for a preliminary hearing Monday.
Motion below, followed by excerpts from the criminal complaint.
Motion below, followed by excerpts from the criminal complaint.
December 18, 2025 at 10:25 PM
By my count, Cristal Caballero would be the 14th Operation Midway Blitz defendant to have criminal charges dropped, with 17 defendants remaining. No convictions so far.
Reposted by Carrie Johnson
This award recognizes extraordinary journalism done in the face of ethical challenges. We know how often such challenges arise while doing important work. Enter yours!
Journalists, editors, ethics enthusiasts! We're open for your nominations for the 2026 Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics. Deadline is January 15, 2026. All the info here⬇️:
ethics.sjmc.wisc.edu/shadid-award...
ethics.sjmc.wisc.edu/shadid-award...
Shadid Award Nomination
The Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison seeks nominations for the Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics. Now in its 17th year, the Shadid Award recognizes ethical ...
ethics.sjmc.wisc.edu
December 16, 2025 at 9:47 PM
This award recognizes extraordinary journalism done in the face of ethical challenges. We know how often such challenges arise while doing important work. Enter yours!