Carissa Byrne Hessick
@cbhessick.bsky.social
Criminal law professor at the University of North Carolina
Director of the Prosecutors and Politics Project
Author of Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal
Director of the Prosecutors and Politics Project
Author of Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal
Whatever ends up happening in the James Comey prosecution, our country needs to grapple with the fact that public confidence in the impartiality of criminal prosecutions has been terribly damaged over the past few years.
October 9, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Whatever ends up happening in the James Comey prosecution, our country needs to grapple with the fact that public confidence in the impartiality of criminal prosecutions has been terribly damaged over the past few years.
Just posted my new paper (coauthored with Andy Hessick), called Facts, Policy, and Discretion, which is is forthcoming in the @ucdavislaw.bsky.social law review
We address an important error that I keep seeing in criminal justice cases about the nature of discretion papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
We address an important error that I keep seeing in criminal justice cases about the nature of discretion papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
July 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Just posted my new paper (coauthored with Andy Hessick), called Facts, Policy, and Discretion, which is is forthcoming in the @ucdavislaw.bsky.social law review
We address an important error that I keep seeing in criminal justice cases about the nature of discretion papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
We address an important error that I keep seeing in criminal justice cases about the nature of discretion papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Curious whether anyone could tell me more about this statutory restriction on plea bargaining in Kansas.
The conventional wisdom is that the parties will always evade plea bargaining prohibitions. I'm curious whether that has been the experience in KS with this limited carveout
The conventional wisdom is that the parties will always evade plea bargaining prohibitions. I'm curious whether that has been the experience in KS with this limited carveout
July 17, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Curious whether anyone could tell me more about this statutory restriction on plea bargaining in Kansas.
The conventional wisdom is that the parties will always evade plea bargaining prohibitions. I'm curious whether that has been the experience in KS with this limited carveout
The conventional wisdom is that the parties will always evade plea bargaining prohibitions. I'm curious whether that has been the experience in KS with this limited carveout
Glad to see this statement by Roberts.
March 18, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Glad to see this statement by Roberts.
I was so excited to find @oldfatherc.bsky.social ‘s new book in my mailbox this morning. I’m a big fan of his previous work, and I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since I heard he was writing it!
March 6, 2025 at 8:32 PM
I was so excited to find @oldfatherc.bsky.social ‘s new book in my mailbox this morning. I’m a big fan of his previous work, and I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since I heard he was writing it!
This story about a hospital, police, and a body cavity search is troubling. It isn't obvious to me whether the ethical concerns of hospital staff ought to trump a court order. But the local police certainly should not be threatening criminal charges or retaliation. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
February 25, 2025 at 1:27 PM
This story about a hospital, police, and a body cavity search is troubling. It isn't obvious to me whether the ethical concerns of hospital staff ought to trump a court order. But the local police certainly should not be threatening criminal charges or retaliation. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Of all the messes that the Supreme Court has made in recent years, how they've interpreted the Takings Clause is nowhere near the top of my list.
February 19, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Of all the messes that the Supreme Court has made in recent years, how they've interpreted the Takings Clause is nowhere near the top of my list.
This is is absolutely outrageous behavior by Bove and by Adams' lawyers. Sassoon deserves a lot of credit for how she handled this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/n...
February 13, 2025 at 10:01 PM
This is is absolutely outrageous behavior by Bove and by Adams' lawyers. Sassoon deserves a lot of credit for how she handled this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/n...
Todd Blanche, who said this at his confirmation hearing for deputy attorney general, may want to speak with Richard Donoghue, Steven Engel, and other leadership who were at DOJ in the weeks surrounding January 6. They likely have a different view about what Trump is likely to ask Blanche do.
February 13, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Todd Blanche, who said this at his confirmation hearing for deputy attorney general, may want to speak with Richard Donoghue, Steven Engel, and other leadership who were at DOJ in the weeks surrounding January 6. They likely have a different view about what Trump is likely to ask Blanche do.
As other folks have pointed out, not only did opposing counsel bring up the tweet, but the judge used it as a basis for denying the WH motion to dismiss as moot.
I'd pat myself on the back about this, but I'm sure everyone else who knows anything about mootness saw this coming.
I'd pat myself on the back about this, but I'm sure everyone else who knows anything about mootness saw this coming.
January 29, 2025 at 10:38 PM
As other folks have pointed out, not only did opposing counsel bring up the tweet, but the judge used it as a basis for denying the WH motion to dismiss as moot.
I'd pat myself on the back about this, but I'm sure everyone else who knows anything about mootness saw this coming.
I'd pat myself on the back about this, but I'm sure everyone else who knows anything about mootness saw this coming.
I'm looking forward to seeing this tweet being brought up in the court hearing re whether the case challenging the freeze is now moot.
January 29, 2025 at 8:07 PM
I'm looking forward to seeing this tweet being brought up in the court hearing re whether the case challenging the freeze is now moot.
Modern notions of DOJ independence are certainly linked to Watergate. But I don't know whether the concept pre-dates Watergate.
A little poking around led me to this article by @jedshug.bsky.social which suggests that it might date to the mid-19th Century
ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scho...
A little poking around led me to this article by @jedshug.bsky.social which suggests that it might date to the mid-19th Century
ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scho...
January 21, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Modern notions of DOJ independence are certainly linked to Watergate. But I don't know whether the concept pre-dates Watergate.
A little poking around led me to this article by @jedshug.bsky.social which suggests that it might date to the mid-19th Century
ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scho...
A little poking around led me to this article by @jedshug.bsky.social which suggests that it might date to the mid-19th Century
ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scho...
We are constantly updating election and campaign contribution info at our new, interactive website: ppp.unc.edu
December 13, 2024 at 4:19 PM
We are constantly updating election and campaign contribution info at our new, interactive website: ppp.unc.edu
❗New research on prosecutors!
The Prosecutors and Politics Project has just released a new report:
A National Study of Prosecutor Elections and Campaign Contributions: 2018-2019
Key findings include changes in contested vs uncontested prosecutors, as well as a big increase in $$$ raised.
The Prosecutors and Politics Project has just released a new report:
A National Study of Prosecutor Elections and Campaign Contributions: 2018-2019
Key findings include changes in contested vs uncontested prosecutors, as well as a big increase in $$$ raised.
December 13, 2024 at 4:14 PM
❗New research on prosecutors!
The Prosecutors and Politics Project has just released a new report:
A National Study of Prosecutor Elections and Campaign Contributions: 2018-2019
Key findings include changes in contested vs uncontested prosecutors, as well as a big increase in $$$ raised.
The Prosecutors and Politics Project has just released a new report:
A National Study of Prosecutor Elections and Campaign Contributions: 2018-2019
Key findings include changes in contested vs uncontested prosecutors, as well as a big increase in $$$ raised.
Fascinating post. Quick question: Is "appointed" the appropriate word here? If so, I'm not sure how appointing retired generals would deal with a deadwood problem, so another sentence explaining that would be helpful!
December 11, 2024 at 3:06 PM
Fascinating post. Quick question: Is "appointed" the appropriate word here? If so, I'm not sure how appointing retired generals would deal with a deadwood problem, so another sentence explaining that would be helpful!
I'm not sure why anyone would need to extend grace to a view that another person wants to hear opposing views. It's a trait that is important for academics, but hardly limited to professors. For example, it's what law school trains all lawyers to do.
December 9, 2024 at 7:18 PM
I'm not sure why anyone would need to extend grace to a view that another person wants to hear opposing views. It's a trait that is important for academics, but hardly limited to professors. For example, it's what law school trains all lawyers to do.
Looking at this NYTimes byline and discovering that the Times has a reporter who covers Musk, another reporter who covers X, and a third reporter who covers Tesla
I'm no news expert, but I wonder what the paper *isn't* covering in order to have so many people writing about one man and his companies
I'm no news expert, but I wonder what the paper *isn't* covering in order to have so many people writing about one man and his companies
December 9, 2024 at 2:01 PM
Looking at this NYTimes byline and discovering that the Times has a reporter who covers Musk, another reporter who covers X, and a third reporter who covers Tesla
I'm no news expert, but I wonder what the paper *isn't* covering in order to have so many people writing about one man and his companies
I'm no news expert, but I wonder what the paper *isn't* covering in order to have so many people writing about one man and his companies
Ugh. Kash Patel.
December 1, 2024 at 3:30 AM
Ugh. Kash Patel.
Possibly the least surprising thing about Trump's picks
November 21, 2024 at 1:41 PM
Possibly the least surprising thing about Trump's picks
As a general matter, I think that the death penalty takes up too much space in the public discussion of criminal justice reform given how rare it is. But this new WaPo article is definitely worth reading. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/inter...
November 20, 2024 at 4:13 PM
As a general matter, I think that the death penalty takes up too much space in the public discussion of criminal justice reform given how rare it is. But this new WaPo article is definitely worth reading. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/inter...
The most influential description of the ideal characteristics for a federal prosecutor comes from AG-turned-SCOTUS Justice Robert Jackson. The description indicates that "an axe to grind" is not, in fact, a desirable quality in a prosecutor. To the contrary, it's precisely what we don't want.
November 20, 2024 at 1:30 PM
The most influential description of the ideal characteristics for a federal prosecutor comes from AG-turned-SCOTUS Justice Robert Jackson. The description indicates that "an axe to grind" is not, in fact, a desirable quality in a prosecutor. To the contrary, it's precisely what we don't want.
Important update in North Carolina Supreme Court race by @yeargain.bsky.social
November 18, 2024 at 4:50 PM
Important update in North Carolina Supreme Court race by @yeargain.bsky.social