Michael Barajas
@michaelbarajas.bsky.social
managing editor boltsmag.org, [email protected]
Reposted by Michael Barajas
After Biden commuted the sentences of 37 men on federal death row last year, the Trump administration is retaliating by sending them to the supermax. Prisoners are locked in cells smaller than a parking space 22-24 hours a day.
One prisoner told me he fears he won't make it out alive.
My latest:
One prisoner told me he fears he won't make it out alive.
My latest:
Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Brace for "Living Hell" Under Trump - Bolts
Trump officials are retaliating by imposing the harshest conditions in the entire federal prison system, including near total isolation.
boltsmag.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:36 PM
After Biden commuted the sentences of 37 men on federal death row last year, the Trump administration is retaliating by sending them to the supermax. Prisoners are locked in cells smaller than a parking space 22-24 hours a day.
One prisoner told me he fears he won't make it out alive.
My latest:
One prisoner told me he fears he won't make it out alive.
My latest:
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Congressional redistricting is monumentally important. But for Black people in places like Fayette County, TN, it is the County Commn where the stakes are highest.
What SCOTUS does in Louisiana v Calláis may threaten Black representation across the rural South.
boltsmag.org/voting-right...
What SCOTUS does in Louisiana v Calláis may threaten Black representation across the rural South.
boltsmag.org/voting-right...
Black Residents in West Tennessee Just Won Fairer Districts. Now Comes SCOTUS. - Bolts
The Supreme Court may further erode the Voting Rights Act in an upcoming decision. Beyond affecting Congress, that would reverberate across local governments nationwide.
boltsmag.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Congressional redistricting is monumentally important. But for Black people in places like Fayette County, TN, it is the County Commn where the stakes are highest.
What SCOTUS does in Louisiana v Calláis may threaten Black representation across the rural South.
boltsmag.org/voting-right...
What SCOTUS does in Louisiana v Calláis may threaten Black representation across the rural South.
boltsmag.org/voting-right...
Biden granted mercy to most everyone on federal death row before leaving office. Trump retaliated by putting them in some of the harshest conditions of longterm isolation that American prisons can impose.
Another must-read by @laurengill.bsky.social boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Another must-read by @laurengill.bsky.social boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Brace for "Living Hell" Under Trump - Bolts
Trump officials are retaliating by imposing the harshest conditions in the entire federal prison system, including near total isolation.
boltsmag.org
November 24, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Biden granted mercy to most everyone on federal death row before leaving office. Trump retaliated by putting them in some of the harshest conditions of longterm isolation that American prisons can impose.
Another must-read by @laurengill.bsky.social boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Another must-read by @laurengill.bsky.social boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
NEW: You've heard SCOTUS could soon upend the balance in power in Congress by gutting the VRA. But that'd also be a huge blow to Black voting power in *local* governments.
In west Tennessee, Black residents just won a new county map this year—but those gains now look very fragile.
Great reporting:
In west Tennessee, Black residents just won a new county map this year—but those gains now look very fragile.
Great reporting:
Black Residents in West Tennessee Just Won Fairer Districts. Now Comes SCOTUS. - Bolts
The Supreme Court may further erode the Voting Rights Act in an upcoming decision. Beyond affecting Congress, that would reverberate across local governments nationwide.
boltsmag.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:02 PM
NEW: You've heard SCOTUS could soon upend the balance in power in Congress by gutting the VRA. But that'd also be a huge blow to Black voting power in *local* governments.
In west Tennessee, Black residents just won a new county map this year—but those gains now look very fragile.
Great reporting:
In west Tennessee, Black residents just won a new county map this year—but those gains now look very fragile.
Great reporting:
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Incredibly depressing to see this story wrap up by quoting a lawmaker who says, “we have to allow for more exceptions,” when the entire story is evidence that exceptions don’t work, especially for a Black woman like Tierra Walker who was already at higher risk of dying due to medical neglect
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
www.propublica.org
November 19, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Incredibly depressing to see this story wrap up by quoting a lawmaker who says, “we have to allow for more exceptions,” when the entire story is evidence that exceptions don’t work, especially for a Black woman like Tierra Walker who was already at higher risk of dying due to medical neglect
Reposted by Michael Barajas
My last freelance piece of the year published yesterday in @boltsmag.org, taking a look at how Illinois' name change law still disproportionately impacts trans people with criminal histories. boltsmag.org/illinois-nam...
In Illinois, Trans People With Criminal Records Still Face Hurdles to Changing Their Names - Bolts
Illinois earlier this year removed obstacles that some trans residents face when changing their name, with legislators lifting more of the restrictions faced by people with criminal convictions. The ...
boltsmag.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:46 PM
My last freelance piece of the year published yesterday in @boltsmag.org, taking a look at how Illinois' name change law still disproportionately impacts trans people with criminal histories. boltsmag.org/illinois-nam...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
This is so cool. I interviewed Calvin Duncan - exoneree, and now Orleans Parish Clerk of Court - back in 2023 about his work as a jailhouse lawyer for the folks on death row in Louisiana. I remember being really struck by his words:
November 16, 2025 at 4:28 PM
This is so cool. I interviewed Calvin Duncan - exoneree, and now Orleans Parish Clerk of Court - back in 2023 about his work as a jailhouse lawyer for the folks on death row in Louisiana. I remember being really struck by his words:
Reposted by Michael Barajas
On Oct. 31, a judge acquitted former Cook County juvenile jail guard Kevin Walker of battery and official misconduct saying, “The defendant puts his hand on [the boy] and maybe pushes him at best.”
Now, you can watch the video for yourself.
Now, you can watch the video for yourself.
Here's a closer look at the surveillance video at the center of the Kevin Walker trial. Read the full story: www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
November 12, 2025 at 10:54 PM
On Oct. 31, a judge acquitted former Cook County juvenile jail guard Kevin Walker of battery and official misconduct saying, “The defendant puts his hand on [the boy] and maybe pushes him at best.”
Now, you can watch the video for yourself.
Now, you can watch the video for yourself.
Reposted by Michael Barajas
A Republican sheriff in a swing county that Trump won by 0.1% signed a contract to help ICE, then lost last week by 11.
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
Voters Ousted This Pennsylvania Sheriff After He Signed Up to Collaborate With ICE - Bolts
A populous, swing county replaced its GOP sheriff on Tuesday after months of controversy over his joining ICE’s 287(g) program. The Democratic winner promises he’ll end the contract.
boltsmag.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:20 PM
A Republican sheriff in a swing county that Trump won by 0.1% signed a contract to help ICE, then lost last week by 11.
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
New by me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-b...
the TX AG's office has a long, ugly history of targeting Black and Latino organizers who register new voters
www.texastribune.org/2025/11/10/t...
Under Abbott, the office staked out the home of an old woman bc she helped a housebound neighbor mail a ballot
www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
www.texastribune.org/2025/11/10/t...
Under Abbott, the office staked out the home of an old woman bc she helped a housebound neighbor mail a ballot
www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
AG Ken Paxton sues Texas Latino voter registration group
The nonprofit Jolt, which was targeted by Paxton in 2024, said it is again asking the court to dismiss the "meritless" lawsuit.
www.texastribune.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:53 PM
the TX AG's office has a long, ugly history of targeting Black and Latino organizers who register new voters
www.texastribune.org/2025/11/10/t...
Under Abbott, the office staked out the home of an old woman bc she helped a housebound neighbor mail a ballot
www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
www.texastribune.org/2025/11/10/t...
Under Abbott, the office staked out the home of an old woman bc she helped a housebound neighbor mail a ballot
www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Incoming NJ governor Mikie Sherrill hasn't said whether she'll uphold a state policy limiting law enforcement cooperation w/ ICE. Advocates say lawmakers must pass legislation to preserve & expand protections for NJ's 2.2 million immigrants before she takes office.
boltsmag.org/immigration-...
boltsmag.org/immigration-...
Immigration Protections Are Uncertain in New Jersey even as Democrats Keep Governorship - Bolts
Advocates want to promptly codify the limits on immigration enforcement put in place by the outgoing governor. Mikie Sherill, Tuesday’s winner, has declined to say if she'd continue them.
boltsmag.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Incoming NJ governor Mikie Sherrill hasn't said whether she'll uphold a state policy limiting law enforcement cooperation w/ ICE. Advocates say lawmakers must pass legislation to preserve & expand protections for NJ's 2.2 million immigrants before she takes office.
boltsmag.org/immigration-...
boltsmag.org/immigration-...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Ten years ago this week, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance failed to pass. It would have protected Houstonians from discrimination in a variety of ways, but it failed after Republicans ran ads about trans predators in bathrooms. Here's my retrospective from last year:
www.chron.com/culture/arti...
www.chron.com/culture/arti...
How the transgender bathroom panic began in Houston
Before North Carolina's "bathroom bill" created a national debate, a local election changed everything.
www.chron.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Ten years ago this week, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance failed to pass. It would have protected Houstonians from discrimination in a variety of ways, but it failed after Republicans ran ads about trans predators in bathrooms. Here's my retrospective from last year:
www.chron.com/culture/arti...
www.chron.com/culture/arti...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
New Jersey's unusually productive lame-duck session is around the corner, & immigration advocates want lawmakers to promptly codify the protections against ICE put in place by the outgoing admin.
Why? Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill has declined to say if she'd keep them, Lauren Gill reports.
Why? Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill has declined to say if she'd keep them, Lauren Gill reports.
Immigration Protections Are Uncertain in New Jersey even as Democrats Keep Governorship - Bolts
Advocates want to promptly codify the limits on immigration enforcement put in place by the outgoing governor. Mikie Sherill, Tuesday’s winner, has declined to say if she'd continue them.
boltsmag.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:42 PM
New Jersey's unusually productive lame-duck session is around the corner, & immigration advocates want lawmakers to promptly codify the protections against ICE put in place by the outgoing admin.
Why? Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill has declined to say if she'd keep them, Lauren Gill reports.
Why? Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill has declined to say if she'd keep them, Lauren Gill reports.
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Last night’s overwhelming Democratic sweep in Pennsylvania preserves liberal control of the state supreme courts across the Midwest’s Blue Wall—MI, PA, WI. These courts are really important for election law and voting rights.
boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...
boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...
Democrats Retain Control of Pennsylvania's Supreme Court with Three-Seat Sweep - Bolts
Three Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have defeated an unusually high-profile Republican bid to unseat them. They secured large statewide victories on Tuesday, following an histo...
boltsmag.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Last night’s overwhelming Democratic sweep in Pennsylvania preserves liberal control of the state supreme courts across the Midwest’s Blue Wall—MI, PA, WI. These courts are really important for election law and voting rights.
boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...
boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
A photojournalist was arrested by ICE at gunpoint — and his DACA status revoked.
“Ya’akub isn’t being accused of breaking immigration law — his DACA protection doesn’t expire until May 2026. In fact Ya’akub’s lawyers say he hasn’t been accused of any crime.”
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/04/h...
“Ya’akub isn’t being accused of breaking immigration law — his DACA protection doesn’t expire until May 2026. In fact Ya’akub’s lawyers say he hasn’t been accused of any crime.”
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/04/h...
When Storytelling Is Called ‘Terrorism’: How My Friend and Fellow Journalist Was Targeted by ICE
As a DACA recipient, Ya'akub Ira Vijandre’s arrest holds drastic implications for the state of free speech in America.
thebarbedwire.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A photojournalist was arrested by ICE at gunpoint — and his DACA status revoked.
“Ya’akub isn’t being accused of breaking immigration law — his DACA protection doesn’t expire until May 2026. In fact Ya’akub’s lawyers say he hasn’t been accused of any crime.”
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/04/h...
“Ya’akub isn’t being accused of breaking immigration law — his DACA protection doesn’t expire until May 2026. In fact Ya’akub’s lawyers say he hasn’t been accused of any crime.”
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/04/h...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
All day, many of you have been asking for a Cheney obituary from me. Get ready:
His Works Completed, Dick Cheney, Mass Murderer of Iraqis and American Democracy, Dies
As much as the Trumpists claim to disavow the War on Terror, they walk a path paved by the most powerful vice president in U.S. history.
www.thenation.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:55 PM
All day, many of you have been asking for a Cheney obituary from me. Get ready:
Reposted by Michael Barajas
As we see indicia of big turnout in today's NYC mayoral election, worth keeping in mind that roughly one in seven adult NYC residents are categorically barred from voting. If you're on the fence about turning out, remember that this is a privilege many of your neighbors do not have
Ahead of Mayor Race, Noncitizen New Yorkers Grapple with a Voting Policy Failure to Launch - Bolts
For a brief moment, it seemed some noncitizen New Yorkers may gain the right to vote locally. But with the law struck down earlier this year, they remain at the margins.
boltsmag.org
November 4, 2025 at 4:07 PM
As we see indicia of big turnout in today's NYC mayoral election, worth keeping in mind that roughly one in seven adult NYC residents are categorically barred from voting. If you're on the fence about turning out, remember that this is a privilege many of your neighbors do not have
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Most likely don’t have this on the Election Day radar, but felony disenfranchisement is on the ballot next week in Virginia, an unusually harsh state for denying voting rights to people with criminal records. Major reform may be coming there, and Tuesday is pivotal.
Here’s what you need to know:
Here’s what you need to know:
October 30, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Most likely don’t have this on the Election Day radar, but felony disenfranchisement is on the ballot next week in Virginia, an unusually harsh state for denying voting rights to people with criminal records. Major reform may be coming there, and Tuesday is pivotal.
Here’s what you need to know:
Here’s what you need to know:
Great reporting here on a measure on the TX ballot this week that would expand Greg Abbott’s growing influence over a commission that disciplines judges www.texastribune.org/2025/11/03/t...
Judicial conduct proposal raises concerns about Abbott overreach
Proposition 12 would allow the governor to appoint a majority of the commission that disciplines judges, as Abbott condemns “activist judges.”
www.texastribune.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Great reporting here on a measure on the TX ballot this week that would expand Greg Abbott’s growing influence over a commission that disciplines judges www.texastribune.org/2025/11/03/t...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Just over an hour after 3 Supreme Court justices warned that Alabamian Anthony Boyd would suffer psychological torture, he was subjected to the longest nitrogen gas execution in US history, gasping for air more than 225 times. Read my eyewitness account: www.treadbylee.com/p/after-just...
After justices warned of prolonged suffocation, Alabama subjected Anthony Boyd to the longest nitrogen execution in U.S. history.
Boyd was the chairman of Project Hope, a death row-led nonprofit. Its members are left reeling in the wake of their leader's suffocation execution.
www.treadbylee.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Just over an hour after 3 Supreme Court justices warned that Alabamian Anthony Boyd would suffer psychological torture, he was subjected to the longest nitrogen gas execution in US history, gasping for air more than 225 times. Read my eyewitness account: www.treadbylee.com/p/after-just...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
SCOTUS just allowed Alabama's execution of Anthony Boyd:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
Justice Sotomayor wrote this vivid dissent blasting AL for using the method of nitrogen gas.
@laurengill.bsky.social's reporting from an AL execution shows you why: boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
Justice Sotomayor wrote this vivid dissent blasting AL for using the method of nitrogen gas.
@laurengill.bsky.social's reporting from an AL execution shows you why: boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
October 23, 2025 at 8:56 PM
SCOTUS just allowed Alabama's execution of Anthony Boyd:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
Justice Sotomayor wrote this vivid dissent blasting AL for using the method of nitrogen gas.
@laurengill.bsky.social's reporting from an AL execution shows you why: boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
Justice Sotomayor wrote this vivid dissent blasting AL for using the method of nitrogen gas.
@laurengill.bsky.social's reporting from an AL execution shows you why: boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
Alabama plans to execute Anthony Boyd tonite by suffocating him with nitrogen gas, an experimental method that appears to be agonizing by most available witness accounts
read Lauren's important reporting on Boyd's case and the death penalty in Alabama boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
read Lauren's important reporting on Boyd's case and the death penalty in Alabama boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
I met Anthony Boyd in 2018, when I was working on a story about Project Hope, the death row anti-death penalty group he now chairs. He told me he'd been involved with drugs in Anniston & had his problems with the cops, but wasn't involved in Gregory Huguley's death.
boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...
boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...
He Was Convicted Entirely On Clashing Eyewitness Testimony. Alabama Plans to Execute Him Next Week. - Bolts
No physical evidence connected Anthony Boyd to a 1993 murder. He was sent to death row on the word of a co-defendant who testified under the threat of capital punishment.
boltsmag.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Alabama plans to execute Anthony Boyd tonite by suffocating him with nitrogen gas, an experimental method that appears to be agonizing by most available witness accounts
read Lauren's important reporting on Boyd's case and the death penalty in Alabama boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
read Lauren's important reporting on Boyd's case and the death penalty in Alabama boltsmag.org/alabama-nitr...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
For @boltsmag.org, I wrote about one group that, despite being a huge chunk of the adult population in NYC, is uniformly excluded from electoral coverage: noncitizens. A 2021 law promised many could participate in municipal elections for the first time, before it was challenged and struck down
Ahead of Mayor Race, Noncitizen New Yorkers Grapple with a Voting Policy Failure to Launch - Bolts
For a brief moment, it seemed some noncitizen New Yorkers may gain the right to vote locally. But with the law struck down earlier this year, they remain at the margins.
boltsmag.org
October 22, 2025 at 10:14 PM
For @boltsmag.org, I wrote about one group that, despite being a huge chunk of the adult population in NYC, is uniformly excluded from electoral coverage: noncitizens. A 2021 law promised many could participate in municipal elections for the first time, before it was challenged and struck down
Reposted by Michael Barajas
I’m guessing you haven’t even hard of this case: San Antonio Police Officers shot and killed Melissa Perez in 2023.
Now, her daughter is hoping a criminal trial will mark the first time murder charges stick for on-duty officers in the city.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/16/s...
Now, her daughter is hoping a criminal trial will mark the first time murder charges stick for on-duty officers in the city.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/16/s...
‘The Video Speaks for Itself.’ An Historic Murder Case Puts San Antonio Officers on Trial.
San Antonio police officers had never been charged with murder for an on-the-job shooting. Now, a courthouse is packed for an historic trial.
thebarbedwire.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:48 PM
I’m guessing you haven’t even hard of this case: San Antonio Police Officers shot and killed Melissa Perez in 2023.
Now, her daughter is hoping a criminal trial will mark the first time murder charges stick for on-duty officers in the city.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/16/s...
Now, her daughter is hoping a criminal trial will mark the first time murder charges stick for on-duty officers in the city.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/16/s...
Reposted by Michael Barajas
Everything about this case shows how easy it is to send someone to death row.
Anthony Boyd was sentenced to death entirely on dubious eyewitness testimony. His lawyer had a month to prepare for trial. Alabama plans to execute him next week.
My latest @boltsmag.org:
boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...
Anthony Boyd was sentenced to death entirely on dubious eyewitness testimony. His lawyer had a month to prepare for trial. Alabama plans to execute him next week.
My latest @boltsmag.org:
boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...
He Was Convicted Entirely On Clashing Eyewitness Testimony. Alabama Plans to Execute Him Next Week. - Bolts
No physical evidence connected Anthony Boyd to a 1993 murder. He was sent to death row on the word of a co-defendant who testified under the threat of capital punishment.
boltsmag.org
October 15, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Everything about this case shows how easy it is to send someone to death row.
Anthony Boyd was sentenced to death entirely on dubious eyewitness testimony. His lawyer had a month to prepare for trial. Alabama plans to execute him next week.
My latest @boltsmag.org:
boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...
Anthony Boyd was sentenced to death entirely on dubious eyewitness testimony. His lawyer had a month to prepare for trial. Alabama plans to execute him next week.
My latest @boltsmag.org:
boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...