Carrie Johnson
@carriejohnson.bsky.social
Carrie Johnson covers the Justice Department for NPR.
NEWS: Supreme Court releases December oral argument calendar including big cases on guns and elections Dec. 2: Viramontes v. Cook County challenges AR-15 bans Dec. 8: RNC v. Mi Familia Vota asks about state power over voter rolls
One of the many delights of my Nieman fellowship was seeing a play about Gloria Steinem at the ART. The legend herself was in the audience and took a well-deserved bow. Thanks for blazing the trail so forcefully, so brilliantly, so stylishly. 🙏
A shout out to two writers whose work I never miss.
I wrote about Dolly as a songteller bit.ly/4ivoW1c
How Dolly Parton wrote the story of a changing America
Parton, who died at 80 on Tuesday, had charm, depth, beauty, wit and radiant goodness. She was also a songwriter whose work told the story not just of country music but of the country itself.
bit.ly
The Library is devastated to learn of the passing of Dolly Parton, a music legend and titan of children's literacy. Her Imagination Library program has earned multiple Library Literacy Awards and, in 2018, she visited us to donate its 100 millionth book to our collection and host a story time. 🦋❤️
I recommend to you this podcast series about Dolly Parton by Jad Abumrad (creator of Radio Lab). You may ask: how did a MacArthur Award winning pub radio guy meet Dolly? Because she personally funded his father's vaccine research, that's how. www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dol...
Dolly Parton's America : Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts
The story of a legend at the crossroads of America’s culture wars.
wnycstudios.org
We love you - thanks for the songs, the children’s books, for everything ❤️
Hey hey ho ho I got “baby bifocals” and I’m ready to go (and can see again)
What Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social does is a huge public service: www.stevevladeck.com/p/246-making...
246. Making Sense of the Mail-in Ballots Ruling
The Supreme Court’s grant of a stay in one of the mail-in ballot cases is deeply wrong, but it’s also not the main event over whether Trump’s patently unlawful executive order can take effect.
stevevladeck.com
The inside story of how the Trump administration sabotaged its own case against Live Nation. www.wsj.com/business/med...
The Bee Gees are on in this uber and it doesn’t bother me 🤔
Thread 🧵
Raffi Melkonian@rmfifthcircuit.bsky.social · 3mo agoA strong dissent from denial of rehearing by Judge Willett in McKesson - the case where the Fifth Circuit upheld liability for a Black Lives Matter leader when there is no evidence he had anything at all to do with a police officer's injury. 1/ www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub...
THE ALASKA AVALANCHE: With Blanche confirmation in the balance, DOJ keeps snowing $$$ on Sen. Lisa Murkowski's home state. Release: www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/u... Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
justice.gov
Lucinda Williams, magnificent as always at Wolf Trap last night.
Discovery for the Reflecting Pool "vandalism" cases-David Hearn, Justin Carreno, Cameron Thiers, Sophie Elaine Dennison-Gibby-has been consolidated. A status hearing is scheduled for August 4.
I joined forces with @dschulkin.bsky.social and Huzaifa Khan. “Zero Evidence”: How Judges and Grand Juries Have Rejected Trump Administration’s Efforts to Investigate and Prosecute We document EXTRAORDINARY number of subpoenas, indictments and more rebuffed. New searchable resource.
Judges and Grand Juries Reject Trump's Efforts to Investigate
A detailed record of federal courts and grand juries rejecting the Trump administration’s use of subpoenas, search warrants, and indictments.
justsecurity.org
This follow-up piece on the DOJ's failed immigration cases is something. It focuses on the Chicago US Attny's office known for handling "some of the country’s biggest terrorism and corruption cases"...including Al Capone and it's now dismal 2% success rate. Wow. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/u...
Failed Immigration Cases Leave Chicago Prosecutor’s Office Reeling (Gift Article)
Prosecutors have fled the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago, angry about the cases they’ve been told to bring against protesters and immigrants.
nytimes.com
My attempt to explain the inexplicable Lionel Messi in this #WordCup. One clue: speed in soccer isn't just fast twitch. It's an "insight." Messi sees. www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
How to Watch Lionel Messi
Look at him when he doesn’t have the ball.
theatlantic.com
A new series from The Regulatory Review examines the Supreme Court’s 2025–2026 regulatory term and its implications for presidential power, agency authority, and individual rights. buff.ly/fdmsrg8
A boy who has maintained his cool through five hours of flight delays. 🎗️
