Carrie Johnson Carrie Johnson is NPR's National Justice Correspondent.
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Carrie Johnson

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Carrie Johnson 2016
Linda Fittante/NPR

Carrie Johnson

Justice Correspondent

Carrie Johnson is NPR's National Justice Correspondent.

She covers a wide variety of stories about justice issues, law enforcement, and legal affairs for NPR's flagship programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Johnson regularly appears on the NPR Politics Podcast.

Prior to coming to NPR in 2010, Johnson worked at the Washington Post for 10 years. Earlier in her career, she wrote about courts for the weekly publication Legal Times.

Her work has been honored with awards from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, the Society for Professional Journalists, and SABEW. She served as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University from 2019-2020. In 2021, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers honored Johnson with a rarely-bestowed Champion of Justice award for her journalism work.

She has been a finalist for the Loeb Award for financial journalism and for the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for team coverage of the massacre at Fort Hood, Texas.

Johnson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Benedictine University in Illinois. She sits on the advisory board for the Center for Journalism Ethics at UW-M and the Historical Society of the D.C. Circuit.

Story Archive

Tuesday

Pedestrians walk inside newly installed "bike rack" barricades outside the U.S. Capitol on March 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. Security in New York City, at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, and Washington, DC has been increased due to the possible indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Monday

House Republicans wanted to focus on their agenda. Trump dominates the conversation

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Saturday

The promise of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright that guaranteed criminal defendants the right to a lawyer has been challenged by budgets and high demand. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption

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Patrick Semansky/AP

You have the right to a lawyer, but public defenders note a lack of resources, respect

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Friday

Then-President George W. Bush addresses the nation March 19, 2003 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. Bush announced that the U.S. military struck at "targets of opportunity" in Iraq on March 19, 2003 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

In 1963, Gideon v. Wainwright assured criminal defendants right to an attorney

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Monday

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland meets with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin participate in a signing ceremony at the Department of Justice on September 20, 2022 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

We Traveled With Attorney General Merrick Garland To Ukraine

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Sunday

Attorney General Garland pledges support for war crimes investigations against Russia

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Friday

Attorney General Merrick Garland attends war crimes conference in Ukraine

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Friday

The ATF director explains what the bureau is doing about gun violence

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Thursday

Sentencing Commission considers what would qualify inmates for compassionate release

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Wednesday

Chairman of the Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio , wearing a shirt supporting Derek Chauvin, looks on while counter-protesting near the Torch of Friendship, where people gathered to remember George Floyd on the one-year anniversary of his death at the hands of a police officer, in Miami on May 25, 2021. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

J6 Trial: DOJ Alleges Cop Tipped Off Proud Boys Leader

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A new report finds that the vast majority of criminal cases end in a plea bargain. The American Bar Association says the practice puts efficiency over fairness and leads to innocent people being coerced to plead guilty. boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images hide caption

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boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images

Tuesday

A new study funded by the National Institute of Justice, the Justice Department's research arm, could help forensic nurses shed new light on bruises suffered by people with darker skin, which could be a boon for prosecutors. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

New research could help nurses, police detect bruises on people with dark skin

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Saturday

The FBI searched the home of Mike Pence after classified documents were discovered

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Sunday

Friday

Brianne Chapman protests outside the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Friday, during the sentencing hearing for Julian Khater and George Tanios. Khater pleaded guilty to assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with pepper spray on Jan. 6, 2021. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

Tuesday

Justice Department racks up some important victories in Jan. 6 cases

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Tuesday

A video showing Proud Boys members appear on screen during a House Select Committee hearing to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol, in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on June 9, 2022. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Saturday

Biden joins Trump under scrutiny of special counsel investigating classified documents

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Friday

A special counsel will probe documents found at Biden's home and private office

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Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, seen in May 2021, is on trial in Washington, accused of crimes related to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Thursday

US Attorney General Merrick Garland arrives to name an independent special counsel to probe President Joe Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents at the US Justice Department in Washington, DC on January 12, 2023. OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images