Two great new long reads from The Marshall Project

The Marshall Project is for me a regular must-read: my weekdays mornings start most days with its "Opening Statement" email full of all sorts of original and linked criminal justice stories.  Many days I find the "Opening Statement" a bit frustrating because it has more amazing content than I have time to read, and this morning was especially challenging because there were these two original pieces that are lengthy and more than worth the time:

"The Billionaire's Crusade: Broadcom's Henry Nicholas is spending millions to give victims a bigger voice, but not everyone agrees."

An excerpt: Six states have now passed some version of Marsy’s Law, which Nicholas shaped and named for his murdered sister. He has spent upwards of $25 million so far, according to campaign filings, and plans to spend millions more in pursuit of his goal: to get the amendment passed across the country and ultimately, onto the U.S. Constitution.

He’s on his way. This November, the measure will be on ballots in five more states: Oklahoma, Nevada, Kentucky, Georgia and Florida. At least five additional states are considering putting Marsy’s Law before voters in upcoming election seasons — efforts backed almost single-handedly by Nicholas. The measure promises an equal voice for victims in a system where the rights of defendants are constitutionally guaranteed. “We can all agree that no rapist should have more rights than the victim,” the Marsy’s Law website says. It is meant to protect people who have suffered a good deal already, and its appeal to voters is obvious: who is against victims?

But however well-intentioned, Marsy’s Law is drawing criticism from some unexpected quarters, including prosecutors and some victims’ rights advocates.

"Prosecutor Elections Now a Front Line in the Justice Wars"

In most district attorney elections, the campaign playbook is clear: Win over the local cops and talk tough on crime. But in California this year, the strategy is being turned on its head.  Wealthy donors are spending millions of dollars to back would-be prosecutors who want to reduce incarceration, crack down on police misconduct and revamp a bail system they contend unfairly imprisons poor people before trial.

The effort is part of a years-long campaign by liberal groups to reshape the nation’s criminal justice system.  New York billionaire George Soros headlines a consortium of private funders, the ACLU and other social justice groups and Democratic activists targeting four of the 56 district attorney positions up for election on June 5.  Five other California candidates are receiving lesser support.

The cash infusion turns underdog challengers into contenders for one of the most powerful positions in local justice systems, roiling conventional law-and-order politics.  The challengers have matched or surpassed the millions of dollars, largely from police, prosecutors and local business, flowing to incumbents unaccustomed to such organized liberal opposition.