Molly Redden
@mtredden.bsky.social
Reporter covering legal affairs for ProPublica. Have a tip? [email protected] or find me on Signal at mollyredden.14
Pinned
Molly Redden
@mtredden.bsky.social
· Aug 6
New from me: Big Law is fearful of representing anyone Trump sees as his enemies, and it's thwarting challenges to his agenda.
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump’s War on Big Law Means It’s Harder to Challenge the Administration
Some of America’s largest law firms are refusing to take pro bono and paid legal work from groups that seek to hold the government to account on issues like environmental protection, LGBTQ+ rights and...
www.propublica.org
Do you have information about Big Law spurning clients who might incur Trump's anger? Get in touch: [email protected] or on Signal at mollyredden.14
Reposted by Molly Redden
In today's Laurels/Darts, I interview Jessica Schulberg, the Huffpost reporter who has extensively covered an unjust Oklahoma death-penalty case.
She was at the penitentiary when the the convict was spared -- exactly 2 minutes before he was scheduled to die.
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
She was at the penitentiary when the the convict was spared -- exactly 2 minutes before he was scheduled to die.
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
November 21, 2025 at 1:14 PM
In today's Laurels/Darts, I interview Jessica Schulberg, the Huffpost reporter who has extensively covered an unjust Oklahoma death-penalty case.
She was at the penitentiary when the the convict was spared -- exactly 2 minutes before he was scheduled to die.
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
She was at the penitentiary when the the convict was spared -- exactly 2 minutes before he was scheduled to die.
www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...
You know one sign of sophisticated intelligence is the ability to integrate new information and not lose your job twice for essentially the same reason
November 18, 2025 at 2:38 PM
You know one sign of sophisticated intelligence is the ability to integrate new information and not lose your job twice for essentially the same reason
Reposted by Molly Redden
JOB ALERT! We are hiring a business editor.
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
Senior Editor, Business
New York City, United States
job-boards.greenhouse.io
November 12, 2025 at 2:43 PM
JOB ALERT! We are hiring a business editor.
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
Reposted by Molly Redden
BREAKING: In a 3-2 vote Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole board recommended clemency for Tremane Wood, a man sentenced to death for a killing his brother admitted to committing www.huffpost.com/entry/oklaho...
November 5, 2025 at 9:00 PM
BREAKING: In a 3-2 vote Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole board recommended clemency for Tremane Wood, a man sentenced to death for a killing his brother admitted to committing www.huffpost.com/entry/oklaho...
Reposted by Molly Redden
Tremane Wood is facing execution on November 13. I revisited his case to investigate how a group of judges and prosecutors have secretly coordinated in ways that have undermined Tremane’s final chance to live. www.huffpost.com/entry/oklaho...
November 3, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Tremane Wood is facing execution on November 13. I revisited his case to investigate how a group of judges and prosecutors have secretly coordinated in ways that have undermined Tremane’s final chance to live. www.huffpost.com/entry/oklaho...
Reposted by Molly Redden
NEW from me: The CFPB's consumer complaint system is more popular than ever, fielding over 2.7M complaints last year.
But Republican lawmakers still voted to slash the CFPB's budget, even after referring thousands of their own constituents' issues to the agency.
www.propublica.org/article/cfpb...
But Republican lawmakers still voted to slash the CFPB's budget, even after referring thousands of their own constituents' issues to the agency.
www.propublica.org/article/cfpb...
These GOP Lawmakers Referred Constituents to the CFPB for Help. Then They Voted to Gut the Agency.
Many of the same Republican lawmakers who have targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for cuts have collectively directed thousands of constituents’ complaints about banks, credit cards, lo...
www.propublica.org
August 6, 2025 at 4:11 PM
NEW from me: The CFPB's consumer complaint system is more popular than ever, fielding over 2.7M complaints last year.
But Republican lawmakers still voted to slash the CFPB's budget, even after referring thousands of their own constituents' issues to the agency.
www.propublica.org/article/cfpb...
But Republican lawmakers still voted to slash the CFPB's budget, even after referring thousands of their own constituents' issues to the agency.
www.propublica.org/article/cfpb...
Do you have information about Big Law spurning clients who might incur Trump's anger? Get in touch: [email protected] or on Signal at mollyredden.14
New from me: Big Law is fearful of representing anyone Trump sees as his enemies, and it's thwarting challenges to his agenda.
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump’s War on Big Law Means It’s Harder to Challenge the Administration
Some of America’s largest law firms are refusing to take pro bono and paid legal work from groups that seek to hold the government to account on issues like environmental protection, LGBTQ+ rights and...
www.propublica.org
August 6, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Do you have information about Big Law spurning clients who might incur Trump's anger? Get in touch: [email protected] or on Signal at mollyredden.14
New from me: Big Law is fearful of representing anyone Trump sees as his enemies, and it's thwarting challenges to his agenda.
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump’s War on Big Law Means It’s Harder to Challenge the Administration
Some of America’s largest law firms are refusing to take pro bono and paid legal work from groups that seek to hold the government to account on issues like environmental protection, LGBTQ+ rights and...
www.propublica.org
August 6, 2025 at 1:16 PM
New from me: Big Law is fearful of representing anyone Trump sees as his enemies, and it's thwarting challenges to his agenda.
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Molly Redden
NEW— "A lot of children have passed the point of no return...The gut lining has started to auto-digest & will no longer [absorb] water or nutrition. Death is imminent for 1000s"
An American doctor who just returned from Gaza on where US-Israeli policy is taking us:
www.huffpost.com/entry/gaza-s...
An American doctor who just returned from Gaza on where US-Israeli policy is taking us:
www.huffpost.com/entry/gaza-s...
‘Past The Point Of No Return’: Doctor Describes How Starvation In Gaza Is Driving Mass Death
"In August and September, there are probably still going to be ... large numbers of deaths because children have already passed the tipping point," Mark Brauner, who volunteered in Gaza last month, to...
www.huffpost.com
July 28, 2025 at 5:01 PM
NEW— "A lot of children have passed the point of no return...The gut lining has started to auto-digest & will no longer [absorb] water or nutrition. Death is imminent for 1000s"
An American doctor who just returned from Gaza on where US-Israeli policy is taking us:
www.huffpost.com/entry/gaza-s...
An American doctor who just returned from Gaza on where US-Israeli policy is taking us:
www.huffpost.com/entry/gaza-s...
Tips are *very* welcome.
Are you in Big Law or a Trump-aligned firm? Struggling to recruit pro bono partners to sue the administration? Former or current DOJ/OCR? Leonard Leo? Get in my DMs!
Are you in Big Law or a Trump-aligned firm? Struggling to recruit pro bono partners to sue the administration? Former or current DOJ/OCR? Leonard Leo? Get in my DMs!
I'm launching a new @propublica.org beat! Legal affairs under Trump: his assault on Big Law, his judicial nominees, his defiance of the courts, the politicization of executive branch legal offices, favor-trading for dropped investigations, White House legal strategy—you name it.
June 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Tips are *very* welcome.
Are you in Big Law or a Trump-aligned firm? Struggling to recruit pro bono partners to sue the administration? Former or current DOJ/OCR? Leonard Leo? Get in my DMs!
Are you in Big Law or a Trump-aligned firm? Struggling to recruit pro bono partners to sue the administration? Former or current DOJ/OCR? Leonard Leo? Get in my DMs!
I'm launching a new @propublica.org beat! Legal affairs under Trump: his assault on Big Law, his judicial nominees, his defiance of the courts, the politicization of executive branch legal offices, favor-trading for dropped investigations, White House legal strategy—you name it.
June 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
I'm launching a new @propublica.org beat! Legal affairs under Trump: his assault on Big Law, his judicial nominees, his defiance of the courts, the politicization of executive branch legal offices, favor-trading for dropped investigations, White House legal strategy—you name it.
Reposted by Molly Redden
“I struggle for adjectives to adequately describe the horror that this administration has visited on the world,” said a former State Dept official about the damage done by Trump and Musk abandoning America's humanitarian aid commitments.
Death, Sexual Violence and Human Trafficking: Fallout From U.S. Aid Withdrawal Hits the World’s Most Fragile Locations
Exclusive State Department records show: As the Trump administration abandons its humanitarian commitments, diplomats are reporting that the cuts have led to violence and instability while undermining...
www.propublica.org
May 30, 2025 at 5:16 PM
“I struggle for adjectives to adequately describe the horror that this administration has visited on the world,” said a former State Dept official about the damage done by Trump and Musk abandoning America's humanitarian aid commitments.
Mothers, hide your Overton Windows! A secretive effort is at work to convince courts the US is legally under "invasion."
MAGA loyalists have pushed this fringe legal theory for years. Now, it's the linchpin of Trump's mass deportation campaign and his extraordinary threats to suspend habeas corpus.
MAGA loyalists have pushed this fringe legal theory for years. Now, it's the linchpin of Trump's mass deportation campaign and his extraordinary threats to suspend habeas corpus.
NEW: The Trump administration is using the claim that immigrants have “invaded” the country to justify possibly suspending habeas corpus, part of the constitutional right to due process.
A faction of the far right has been building this case for years.
By @mtredden.bsky.social
A faction of the far right has been building this case for years.
By @mtredden.bsky.social
The “Invasion” Invention: The Far Right’s Long Legal Battle to Make Immigrants the Enemy
The Trump administration is using the claim that immigrants have “invaded” the country to justify possibly suspending habeas corpus, part of the constitutional right to due process. A faction of the f...
www.propublica.org
May 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Mothers, hide your Overton Windows! A secretive effort is at work to convince courts the US is legally under "invasion."
MAGA loyalists have pushed this fringe legal theory for years. Now, it's the linchpin of Trump's mass deportation campaign and his extraordinary threats to suspend habeas corpus.
MAGA loyalists have pushed this fringe legal theory for years. Now, it's the linchpin of Trump's mass deportation campaign and his extraordinary threats to suspend habeas corpus.
Reposted by Molly Redden
THREAD: Under a new law, thousands of prisoners in Louisiana have been cut off from ever getting a chance at parole.
Why?
Because an algorithm said so. 1/
Why?
Because an algorithm said so. 1/
April 11, 2025 at 1:00 AM
THREAD: Under a new law, thousands of prisoners in Louisiana have been cut off from ever getting a chance at parole.
Why?
Because an algorithm said so. 1/
Why?
Because an algorithm said so. 1/
Reposted by Molly Redden
An October 2024 story about Russell Vought captured the breadth and ferocity of the coming attack on the federal government.
So why didn’t this story drive more of a national conversation when it appeared?
So why didn’t this story drive more of a national conversation when it appeared?
The October Story That Outlined Exactly What the Trump Administration Would Do to the Federal Bureaucracy
Historians have hindsight when they look into the past; journalists have the facts on the ground and context to help them look ahead. That means we can sometimes be surprised by how prescient a story…
propub.li
March 23, 2025 at 3:30 PM
An October 2024 story about Russell Vought captured the breadth and ferocity of the coming attack on the federal government.
So why didn’t this story drive more of a national conversation when it appeared?
So why didn’t this story drive more of a national conversation when it appeared?
Reposted by Molly Redden
New and devastating reporting from my colleagues showing just how dangerous it has become to be pregnant and in Texas after the state banned abortion.
Please read and share:
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
Please read and share:
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.
ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas’ abortion ban.
www.propublica.org
February 20, 2025 at 1:54 PM
New and devastating reporting from my colleagues showing just how dangerous it has become to be pregnant and in Texas after the state banned abortion.
Please read and share:
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
Please read and share:
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
“In response, the employees refused their requests and called sheriff's deputies.“
So you can just say you work at DOGE and pillage anything from our documents you want. The law truly doesn't exist anymore! Cool!
3 men claiming to be from DOGE show up at San Francisco City Hall, demand records
San Francisco city officials are investigating after three men who claimed to be from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) showed up at City Hall on Friday demanding records from offices bef...
www.cbsnews.com
February 15, 2025 at 6:13 PM
“In response, the employees refused their requests and called sheriff's deputies.“
Reposted by Molly Redden
If a nakedly corrupt and anti-constitutional DoJ won't hold Eric Adams to account, here's who could.
How Other Prosecutors Could Pick Up the Case Against Eric Adams
www.thecity.nyc/2025/02/15/e...
How Other Prosecutors Could Pick Up the Case Against Eric Adams
www.thecity.nyc/2025/02/15/e...
How Other Prosecutors Could Pick Up the Case Against Eric Adams
Both Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and NY Attorney General Tish James could pursue charges, and Gov. Hochul could also remove the mayor.
www.thecity.nyc
February 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
If a nakedly corrupt and anti-constitutional DoJ won't hold Eric Adams to account, here's who could.
How Other Prosecutors Could Pick Up the Case Against Eric Adams
www.thecity.nyc/2025/02/15/e...
How Other Prosecutors Could Pick Up the Case Against Eric Adams
www.thecity.nyc/2025/02/15/e...
Reposted by Molly Redden
I wrote about how the Trump administration's assault on the civil service draws from the same playbook used for decades against public school teachers.
A nation that devalues its public servants devalues its future
www.vox.com/donald-trump...
A nation that devalues its public servants devalues its future
www.vox.com/donald-trump...
Elon Musk is using the anti-teacher playbook against the entire civil workforce
This didn’t start with DOGE.
www.vox.com
February 14, 2025 at 12:14 PM
I wrote about how the Trump administration's assault on the civil service draws from the same playbook used for decades against public school teachers.
A nation that devalues its public servants devalues its future
www.vox.com/donald-trump...
A nation that devalues its public servants devalues its future
www.vox.com/donald-trump...
Reposted by Molly Redden
The Trump administration has flown about 100 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay. Perla Trevizo and I identified nearly a dozen of them and spoke to relatives of three of them. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
U.S. Claims Immigrants Held at Guantanamo Are “Worst of the Worst.” Their Families Say They’re Being Unfairly Targeted.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have identified nearly a dozen immigrants who have been flown to Guantanamo Bay. Government officials have refused to release the names of detainees or provide details...
www.propublica.org
February 13, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The Trump administration has flown about 100 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay. Perla Trevizo and I identified nearly a dozen of them and spoke to relatives of three of them. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Molly Redden
NEW: Under the Trump administration, the Office for Civil Rights has shifted its focus to removing gender-neutral bathrooms, banning transgender athletes from women’s sports and prioritizing complaints alleging discrimination against white students.
“We’ve Been Essentially Muzzled”: Department of Education Halts Thousands of Civil Rights Investigations Under Trump
Since Inauguration Day, the Office for Civil Rights has only opened about 20 investigations focused on Trump’s priorities, placing more than 10,000 student complaints related to disability access and ...
propub.li
February 14, 2025 at 2:32 AM
NEW: Under the Trump administration, the Office for Civil Rights has shifted its focus to removing gender-neutral bathrooms, banning transgender athletes from women’s sports and prioritizing complaints alleging discrimination against white students.
Reposted by Molly Redden
NEW from me: Why has Patrick Soon-Shiong touted RFK Jr repeatedly and run interference for him at his paper, the LA Times? Maybe because his biotech company has 3 applications pending at the FDA, whose parent agency Kennedy is about to be running.
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
L.A. Times Owner Has Financial Motivations for Boosting RFK Jr.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong’s biotech firm is preparing three applications needing approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
prospect.org
February 5, 2025 at 8:14 PM
NEW from me: Why has Patrick Soon-Shiong touted RFK Jr repeatedly and run interference for him at his paper, the LA Times? Maybe because his biotech company has 3 applications pending at the FDA, whose parent agency Kennedy is about to be running.
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
Buckle up
New from me: As they prepare to cut trillions in government services, Trump + team are planning to test a radical legal theory which claims the president can unilaterally choke off funding from programs he opposes. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
How Trump Plans to Seize the Power of the Purse From Congress
The second-term president likely will seek to cut off spending that lawmakers have already appropriated, setting off a constitutional struggle within the branches. If successful, he could wield the po...
www.propublica.org
January 29, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Buckle up
Reposted by Molly Redden
Donald Trump has just released a national under 18 trans care ban executive order. I am working through specifically how it tries to do this, and will live tweet here section by section as I read through it.
It is not yet on the website, but has been released via press release.
It is not yet on the website, but has been released via press release.
January 28, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Donald Trump has just released a national under 18 trans care ban executive order. I am working through specifically how it tries to do this, and will live tweet here section by section as I read through it.
It is not yet on the website, but has been released via press release.
It is not yet on the website, but has been released via press release.
Reposted by Molly Redden
Trump Day One executive order is an illegal deferral under the Impoundment Control Act.
It also seems as though Trump is (accidentally? purposefully?) demanding the US break its contracts for funding that has been obligated but not yet outlaid in saying no funds shall be disbursed.
It also seems as though Trump is (accidentally? purposefully?) demanding the US break its contracts for funding that has been obligated but not yet outlaid in saying no funds shall be disbursed.
January 21, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Trump Day One executive order is an illegal deferral under the Impoundment Control Act.
It also seems as though Trump is (accidentally? purposefully?) demanding the US break its contracts for funding that has been obligated but not yet outlaid in saying no funds shall be disbursed.
It also seems as though Trump is (accidentally? purposefully?) demanding the US break its contracts for funding that has been obligated but not yet outlaid in saying no funds shall be disbursed.