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With “Closing Argument,” I see it as my mission to help readers stay informed about what’s happening across the criminal justice system — courts, cops, prisons, policy — with clarity, depth and context. In 2023, Closing Argument received a Society of Professional Journalists award for newsletter journalism.

Before joining The Marshall Project, I was a reporter at The Guardian, mostly covering policing and criminal justice, including national protests and federal reform efforts. There, I was honored to receive the National Association of Black Journalists’ “Michael J. Feeney Emerging Journalist of the Year” award.

When I’m not reporting and writing, I like to explore the outdoors with my dog, Kora, and make music in my home studio in New Orleans.

Phone (504) 475-4045
Email jlartey@themarshallproject.org
The CoreCivic corporate headquarters in Brentwood, Tennessee, in 2023. The private prison operator is proposing to run an immigration detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Closing Argument April 26
Not In Our Backyard: Some Pro-Trump Towns Push Against Detention Centers
Opposition to an immigration detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas, illustrates a tension playing out across the country.
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A person with dark-toned skin and a person with medium-toned skin, both wearing prison uniforms, play chess while sitting on blue chairs. In the background are doors to prison cells.
Closing Argument April 19
Fish Tanks, Plants and Podcast Studios — Some States Try a New Approach to Incarceration
America’s experiment with Scandinavian-inspired prison units is growing — and being tested.
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Boston University police officers conferred while students protested outside of the office of the dean of students on April 3, demanding that the university pledge to protect students from the federal government regardless of their immigration status.
Closing Argument April 5
Trump Is Targeting International Students Over Pro-Palestinian Protests. But Is It Legal?
After the administration revoked 300 students’ visas, the courts will have to decide if the Constitution protects the free speech of noncitizens.
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A woman in an orange jail uniform crouches toward the ground, against a fence.
Closing Argument March 29
How States Are Undoing Criminal Justice Reforms
Louisiana, New York and other states are rolling back reforms — and efforts to reduce excessive sentencing or expand parole are smaller in scope.
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President Donald Trump, a White man in a black suit and blue tie, stands by a door. A group of reporters holding cameras and microphones surround him in front of the door.
Closing Argument March 22
Trump vs. The Courts: Presidential Attacks Open New Front in Long Battle
Both parties have tried to undermine the courts at times in the past. But Trump’s attacks are in some ways unprecedented.
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A large crowd held signs at a protest in New York City, some of which read: "Release Mahmoud Khalil" and "Billionaires are the real enemy, not immigrants".
Closing Argument March 15
How Trump’s Targeting of Immigrants With Legal Status Departs From the Norm
Mahmoud Khalil is just one of many people with legal or protected status detained and facing deportation.
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Malik Shabazz, a Black man in a gray suit, speaks to reporters, as Michael Corey Jenkins, a Black man in a gray suit, stands next to him. A group of other people stand near them, in front of microphones held up by reporters.
Closing Argument March 1
Law And Disorder: Police Oversight and Training Confront A Changing landscape
The future of police accountability remains uncertain as misconduct persists and focus shifts from reforms.
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In the foreground, four people wearing winter coats hold up signs reading "Enough is Enough, Strike!" as it snows. A group of people stand behind them.
Closing Argument February 22
How a Guards’ Strike Plunged New York Prisons Into Turmoil and Why the Timing Is Curious
Correctional officers complain of unsafe conditions, but critics say the protests were meant to deflect attention from ‘a moment of reckoning.’
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Three U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, wearing black guard vests, green long sleeve shirts and black ski masks, stand in front of a green door.
Closing Argument February 8
How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Blurs the Lines Between Reality, Rumor and Theater
ICE arrests, including “collateral arrests,” are up — and often in front of cameras. But experts say the data is incomplete — and hoaxes abound.
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Three men, wearing orange and red uniforms, talk on telephones in a payphone booth area.
Analysis January 23
How Trump’s Immigration Orders Represent a Seismic Shift on Enforcement
The president’s actions move the federal government toward his promised hardline position. But some executive orders will face court challenges.
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