The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "trial judges" ...
-
Unreasonable Doubt
The Globe's team found that when accused drunk drivers waive their right to a jury trial and take their cases before a single judge, they are acquitted four out of five times- an astonishing statewide acquittal rate of 82 percent that is virtually unmatched in the United States. The Globe found that the acquittal rate by judges is 30 percentage points higher than the acquittal rate by juries.
Tags: Drunk driving; judge; jury; acquittal; conviction
-
Baumgartner
At the start of 2011, the best known and probably most respected judge in Knoxville, Tenn., was Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner, founder of Knox County's successful Drug Court and the judge who recently had presided over trials involving the most shocking crime in local memory, the carjacking, torture and murder of a young couple named Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. The trials of four suspects led to a death sentence, two life sentences and one very long prison term. But soon after the new year began, Baumgartner took an abrupt leave of absence, ostensible for health reasons.
Tags: judge; Knoxville; trials; criminal court
-
"Final Justice
For seven years, the WEWS-TV Investigative Unit researched and reported the case of a Cleveland man, Darrell Houston, who was serving "33 years to life" in prison. By uncovering new witnesses and interviewing past jurors, the investigation by WEWS eventually led to a new trial, the release of Houston and the exoneration of his "murder and robbery charges."
Tags: Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court; Nancy Fuerst; judge; Ohio Court of Appeals; Cleveland Police Department; Nancy Margaret Russo; jury; court
-
Presumed Guilty
Over a ten year span, judges in Cuyahoga County, Ohio threw out more than 350 cases mid-trial because prosecutors did not present enough basic evidence. The results of the investigative series shows how the broken system allowed hundreds of defendants to walk free.
Tags: prosecutor; criminal defense; judges; prosecution; fair trial
-
Connected
“Two former judges, already facing charges for accepting kickbacks, are accused of fixing a $3.5 million defamation case against The Citizens’ Voice newspaper at the behest of a convicted mob boss. The stories establish various ties between the judges and the mobster. The state Supreme Court eventually granted the newspaper a new trial.”
Tags: William D'Elia; Michael T. Conahan; Mark A. Ciavarella; court system; jail; verdict; direct connections; Robert J. Kulick; gambling site; court cases
-
Dr. Deception
The story reveals the bad behavior of a well paid psychiatrist. Among his bad behaviors there are duplicating reports to county judges, inappropriate behavior with a female jail inmate, and falsifying reports of competent defendants. Not only was he a problem, but the systems, including the courts, allowed him to get away with all his wrongdoings.
Tags: mental health; courts; defendants; trials; judges; money; unethical behavior
-
For Their Own Good
This story exposes juveniles, who are to serve trial as adults, are being held in isolation for over 20 hours a day. This process can last months or years while these juveniles wait for trial. The jail provides "less than the required minimum amount of education and physical activity". This story also revealed that judges and county officials weren't aware of the treatment of these juveniles. Though, state juvenile justice advocates were aware of the process, they did nothing to stop it.
Tags: Harris county; juveniles; solitary confinement; adults; judges; Texas; youth; prisons; jail; justice department; kids
-
Finger prints
For almost a century, fingerprint evidence has been a revered cornerstone of the American criminal justice system. But that may soon change. Last fall, in a Baltimore murder case, a judge ruled that fingerprint analysis is not reliable, which shocked lawyers across the country and could possibly put thousands of criminal investigations in jeopardy. CBS News spent months researching the use of fingerprints in murder trials as well as assessing the future of fingerprint evidence.
Tags: fingerprint evidence; Brandon Mayfield; court cases; criminal investigations; attorney; forensic evidence; death penalty
-
On Hold
On Oct. 22, 2007 there was a mistrial for the federal case of five men who worked for the Muslim charity, the Holy Land Foundation, because they were believed to be funding the Palestinian terrorist organization, the Hamas. After four monts of trial, the jury came to a verdict on Oct. 18 but the judge let the jury go home for the weekend before reading the verdict on Oct. 22. Three jurors decided they didn't agree with the verdict, adding to the case ending in a mistrial.
Tags: terrorism; moslim; A. Joe Fish;
-
Prisoners Dilemma: How NYC's Bail System Puts Justice on Hold
This story detailed how the imposition of financial bail in relatively minor criminal cases results in the pretrial detention of thousands of mostly poor, largely black or Hispanic New Yorkers every year. It explored every aspect of the process in which bail is set from arrest to arraignment to jail, looking at the role of police, prosecutors, judges, bail bond agents and other players. The piece documented deviations between the reality of bail and its statutory purpose and charted the impact of bail and detention on individual lives and the justice system, as well as dissecting some possible reforms to the system.
Tags: jail; criminals; justice system; trial; court; racism; crime; law; law enforcement