Criminal defense lawyers are tracking when the Justice Department appears to rely on irregular charging practices, including aggressive legal theories and possible political retribution.
crime
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Crime in the U.S. fell in 2025. Will the trend continue?
Crime rates dropped across much of the U.S. in 2025. That was true for both property and violent crime. And it declined nearly everywhere: In big cities and small towns, and in red and blue states.
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Brian Walshe, who searched for crime tips online, is convicted of his wife’s murder
Walshe said his wife left town for a work emergency in January 2023. Investigators found items like a hacksaw, bloody rugs and her COVID vaccine card in dumpsters — and chilling searches on his devices.
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Peru’s Congress removes President Boluarte as a crime wave grips the country
Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to swiftly remove Peru’s first female president shortly after midnight, marking yet another leadership shake-up in a nation rocked by violence and political turmoil.
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A deadly assault in Charlotte underscores a shift in crime on public transit
A violent killing in Charlotte’s transit system has gotten a lot of attention. The numbers say trains and buses remain safe overall, but assault has eclipsed robbery and theft as the biggest concern.
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‘The most illegal search’: Judges push back against D.C. criminal charges
Inside the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Monday, tensions over the potential for federal overreach broke into open court.
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As Trump touts D.C. arrests, experts caution they’re not the best indicator of public safety
The Trump administration says it has arrested more than 700 people in Washington, D.C., in its mission to crack down on crime. Experts say it’s difficult to draw conclusions from that about public safety.
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Trump delivers pizza to National Guard working on his DC crackdown
President Trump thanked National Guard soldiers and police officers involved in his crackdown on what he has described as rampant crime in Washington, D.C.
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Trump’s return to ‘law and order’ highlights a sore spot for Democrats: crime policy
Democrats have struggled to counter GOP efforts to frame itself as the party of “law and order.” Some see it as a problem of messaging, while others think past and current policies may be to blame.
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Mayors of Democratic cities respond to Trump’s threats they could be next after D.C.
When Trump announced his law enforcement actions in D.C., he also singled out a slew of other Democratic cities. The mayors of Baltimore, LA, Oakland, Chicago and New York say crime is down.
