The Marshall Project news digest

Donate Edited by Caleb Bedillion and Ilica Mahajan View in browser 2026 2026 Community Survey Will you help shape our future reporting and strategies? Give your feedback and help make The Marshall Project better → TAKE THE SURVEY NOW Pick of the News She survived an execution. Now she’s in uncharted territory. Christa Pike was in “critical condition” and receiving “life-saving care” on Thursday, according to her lawyers. Pike survived two injections of pentobarbital on Wednesday. There have been other botched executions, but one expert said that the survival of a completed lethal injection protocol is “singular and unparalleled.” The Associated Press Some doctors speculated the drugs missed or escaped Pike’s veins. Pike could face serious and ongoing complications. The New York Times Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has paused an execution that was set for later this year while an investigation is conducted to determine what went wrong. Pike murdered a classmate in 1995 and was the only woman on Tennessee’s death row. Tennessee Lookout TMP Context: Amid challenges to lethal injection procedures, the firing squad might be poised for a comeback. The Marshall Project More: The closest look possible as lawyers race to save the life of a Death Row prisoner. The Marshall Project The Supreme Court will review the migrant detention policy. The court will decide whether federal immigration law allows the indefinite detention of immigrants without bond hearings, including longtime U.S. residents with no criminal record. Lower courts have been divided on this issue, which “is a departure from past practice, when such migrants were generally allowed an opportunity to seek release after a hearing before a judge.” The New York Times TMP context: Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used a 30 year-old-law to argue that it can indefinitely detain any immigrant who has illegally crossed the border. It doesn’t matter if they have no criminal background or have been here for years. The Marshall Project “I was assaulted.” The “Cornell Seven” case continues to push forward the national conversation on rape on college campuses. Documents obtained by The New York Times detail how “Jane Doe” came to understand what happened to her, and how she went from “shame to action.” The New York Times But New York rape laws have presented a challenge — even if a victim is clearly intoxicated, if they became so willingly, it is difficult to charge the accused. This is the stated reason for why the district attorney declined to charge the alleged assailants. These “laws make it much more difficult to charge people with rape if the accuser chose to become intoxicated.” The New York Times This “voluntary intoxication loophole” exists in other states, too. “New York is one of 19 states with rape or sexual assault laws that consider intoxicated victims to be mentally incapacitated only if they became drunk or were drugged without their knowledge or consent.” The Associated Press Shot by ICE, detained in jail. A Venezuelan delivery driver shot by an immigration agent will remain in custody on charges of assault, a judge ruled Wednesday. Agents pulled over Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin last month, and a high-speed chase eventually ensued. The government claims that Garces Perez at one point tried to hit an officer with his car and the officer fired his weapon. Video of the stop and parts of the chase were shown in court, but not the shooting itself. Garces Perez appeared in court in a wheelchair and with his arm in a sling. His lawyers say he still needs medical care. The Associated Press More: New internal guidelines prohibit ICE agents from engaging in high-speed pursuits and require special training to conduct vehicle stops. The Associated Press TMP Context: Immigration officers have repeatedly shot people while claiming self-defense. The Marshall Project Court Oversight of Oakland Police Department is over. After 23 years, court oversight of the Oakland P