In the Media

Tampa Voters Get Their Say Two Years After DeSantis Axed Their Democratic Prosecutor, Bolts Magazine (August 14, 2024)

Legal Fellow Leah Roemer on the Politicization of the Death Penalty, Death Penalty Information Center (August 6, 2024)

Erica Peterson, Thousands of West Virginia voters lack choices on their ballots. Here are the consequences of uncontested elections, Mountain State Spotlight (May 12, 2024)

Prosecutorial Discretion, The Assembly (February 7, 2024)

Cities Voted For Progressive Prosecutors. Republican State Leaders Are Pushing Back, NPR (August 20, 2023)

Conservatives Seek to Oust Progressive District Attorneys, The New York Times (August 12, 2023)

Behind the Right’s War on Prosecutors, The Appeal (August 3, 2023)

‘A political force’: How NC prosecutors sway criminal justice bills in General Assembly, Charlotte Observer (July 17, 2023)

Prosecutors and Politics Project: Analyzing Media Coverage of Prosecutor Elections, Davis Vanguard (Feb 24, 2023)

New Hampshire county attorneys hold a lot of power, but most run unopposed, New Hampshire Business Review (Nov. 2, 2022)

In The Courts: Carissa Byrne Hessick on the impact of state-level prosecutors, Fox 5 DC (August 8, 2022)

National groups flooding local prosecutor races with money, NBC News Center Maine (June 10, 2022)

Riverside County DA race: Hestrin outraises opponents, who criticize his acceptance of police union money, Desert Sun (May 4, 2022)

Most Oklahoma District Attorney Races Are Uncontested, Oklahoma Watch (May 4, 2022)

Orange-Chatham voters have rare chance to pick DA, guide future of criminal justice, The News & Observer (April 22, 2022)

Prosecutor Lobbying More Effective When Pushing Leniency, Law 360 (April 19, 2022)

Despite Ethics Rules, Top Prosecutor Against Bail Reform Has Close Ties to GOP, New York Focus (Feb. 18, 2022)

When a new district attorney takes office, police kill fewer people, our research finds, Washington Post (July 13, 2021)

At Colorado’s Capitol, prosecutors no longer rule the roost, Denver Post (June 20, 2021)

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU (June 18, 2021)

Study: Oklahoma prosecutors are strong lobbyists, The Norman Transcript (June 15, 2021)

Prosecutors and Politics Project Delves into Political Power of Prosecutors When Passing Legislation, Davis Vanguard (June 11, 2021)

Prosecutors Don’t Just Enforce Laws—They Lobby Hard to Make Them, Filter Magazine (June 10, 2021)

Are NC district attorneys a roadblock to needed criminal justice reform? NC Policy Watch (June 9, 2021)

Most U.S. Prosecutors ‘Routinely’ Support Harsh Punishments: Study, The Crime Report (June 7, 2021)

Activists move from ‘protests to the polls’ in a push to shape a slew of local races on Election Day, CNN Online (October 31, 2020)

Many Arizona County Officials Lack Competition on the Ballot, U.S. News & World Report (June 7, 2020)

NH elects its prosecutors, but most run unopposed, Keene Sentinel (August 31, 2020)

Oregon’s D.A. Elections Mock Democracy Again, The Appeal (May 7, 2020)

UNC’s School of Law wants to know how attorneys influence criminal justice, Daily Tar Heel (September 22, 2019)

Carissa Byrne Hessick Wants to Hold Prosecutors Accountable, Ms. Magazine (July 18, 2019)

Show us the money: UNC’s Prosecutors and Politics Project tracks attorneys’ finances, Daily Tar Heel (March 1, 2018)

UNC School of Law Launches Prosecutors and Politics Project (Feb. 27, 2018)

If You Want to Reform the Police, Get Prosecutors on Your Side, Slate (June 16, 2021) Prof. Hessick & Gabrielle Supak

Midlands Voices: Give Nebraskans a choice in county attorney elections, Omaha World-Herald (May 16, 2020) Prof. Hessick & Cayla Rodney

Criminal justice reform on the ballot across America, Los Angeles Daily News (March 25, 2020) Prof. Hessick & Miriam Krinsky

Voters need more information about their prosecutors, Kansas City Star (February 12, 2019) Prof. Hessick & Jennifer Cofer

NC campaign finances need scrutiny, Raleigh News & Observer (December 26, 2018) Prof. Hessick & Jennifer Cofer

Voters in Pa. don’t know enough about candidates running to become prosecutors, Philadelphia Inquirer (April 11, 2018) Prof. Hessick & Rachel Geissler

California voters deserve to know who is bankrolling our district attorneys, Los Angeles Times (March 29, 2018) Prof. Hessick & Alison Rossi