Carrie Johnson

Criminal justice experts say deciding whether young people should face adult courts at age 18 looks increasingly arbitrary, given the state of science on brain development. They want to see a change.

A new report by criminal defense lawyers finds judges involved in the cases of people who are unable to pay for attorneys too often put their own fingers on the scales.

The Justice Department says it will beef up legal requirements for using cell-site simulators, an increasingly controversial form of surveillance technology that secretly gathers data about mobile devices.

Under the new policy, federal investigators will be required to get a warrant from a judge demonstrating probable cause, in most domestic ...

A former aide to Hillary Clinton said he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and not answer questions from Congress.

The aide, Bryan Pagliano, helped set up Clinton's private email server. Clinton has faced months of scrutiny for using her home server and a private email address ...

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, sworn in on the day of Baltimore unrest, again confronts tension between minority communities and police. Lynch condemns recent police killings and cal...

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has strongly condemned shootings of law enforcement officers in Texas and Illinois and issued an unequivocal message of support for police.

"We have had four more guardians slain, and frankly our hearts are broken," the attorney general said Wednesday in remarks to a fair housing ...

Under a new settlement, state authorities will send inmates to isolation only if they commit new and serious crimes in prison, like murders or violent assaults. The move could have wide effects.

A longtime federal judge struggled Monday over what constitutes justice for members of one of Washington, D.C.'s most notorious drug rings.

Senior U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth pressed a public defender about the fate of Melvin Butler, a man who helped flood the city with cocaine that contributed to ...

#NPRreads is a weekly feature on Twitter and on The Two-Way. The premise is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading, using the #NPRreads hashtag. On Fridays, we highlight some of the best stories.

This week, we bring you three ...

A 20-year member of Congress indicted on racketeering charges is challenging restrictions on his ability to meet with colleagues as "an undue and unnecessary burden...that is effectively impairing his ability" to do his job.

Last month, a federal grand jury in Philadelphia indicted Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Penn., on conspiracy, bribery, ...

The Associated Press has filed suit against the Justice Department, accusing the FBI of creating fake news in order to entrap a criminal suspect. The AP is demanding more information about the ruse.

Native American tribes can be hampered trying to fight crime on reservations because they don't have access to federal databases. The Justice Department wants to help.

This post was updated at 2:30 p.m. ET with comment from Sen. Menendez's spokesperson.

The Justice Department forcefully defended its prosecutors Monday against allegations of misconduct and perjury lodged by lawyers for Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and an eye doctor who served as one of his longtime donors.

Prosecutors said ...

For now, federal authorities characterize the Justice Department inquiry into Hillary Clinton's private email server as a security situation: a simple matter of finding out whether classified information leaked out during her tenure as secretary of state, and where it went.

Except, former government officials said, that's not going to ...

The Justice Department, Congress and inspector general watchdogs are looking at the email practices of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton even as the 2016 presidential race intensifies.

Advocates for survivors of violent crime say there are too few credible programs to help black men — and they're trying to change that.

The Justice Department weighs in on an Idaho case, arguing that homeless people should not be charged with crimes for sleeping outdoors when there is not enough housing in their communities.

A former professor at Northwest Christian University in Oregon is suing the school for allegedly firing her for being pregnant and unmarried, violating the faith-based values of the institution. She says it's discrimination.

#NPRreads is a weekly feature on Twitter and on The Two-Way. The premise is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers throughout our newsroom share pieces that have kept them reading. They share tidbits using the #NPRreads hashtag — and on Fridays, we highlight some of the best stories.

This week, ...

Advocates and inmates working to overhaul the criminal justice system will have to wait at least a little longer for congressional action.

The Republican leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles Grassley, said he won't hold a public event on sentencing reform proposals until after the August recess, as language ...