C. Ryan Barber

Washington, D.C., United States

Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

@WSJ reporter covering DOJ, courts, et al | find me at @cryanbarber.bsky.social | Signal: cryanbarber.41 |

Articles

‘Judge Jeanine’ Returns to Her Legal Roots at the Request of an Old Friend: Trump

4 days ago | wsj.com | Sadie Gurman |C. Ryan Barber

President has chosen a longtime ally and popular Fox News host to lead one of the most politically important prosecutor’s offices in the countryThe New York Yankees in 1996 were about to win their first World Series in nearly two decades when Donald Trump rushed out of the ballpark to attend a costume ball fundraiser he was hosting for his friend, Jeanine Pirro.
Trump Picks IRS Critic as Agency’s Acting Leader

4 weeks ago | wsj.com | Richard Rubin |C. Ryan Barber

WASHINGTON—President Trump named Gary Shapley—the IRS criminal investigator who criticized the government for its handling of Hunter Biden’s tax filings—as the tax agency’s acting commissioner, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Shapley is the Internal Revenue Service’s fourth leader in less than four months as the Trump administration rapidly shrinks the agency.
Trump and Judiciary in Escalating Standoff Over Wrongfully Deported Migrant

4 weeks ago | wsj.com | Jacob Gershman |C. Ryan Barber |Victoria Albert

Judge demands more answers from government about what it has done to facilitate migrant’s return GREENBELT, Md.—The Trump administration is setting up the biggest test yet of judges’ authority to rein in its actions, as it skirts court orders that it facilitate the return of a migrant deported in error to a Salvadoran maximum-security prison.
Trump and Judiciary in Escalating Standoff Over Wrongfully Deported Migrant

4 weeks ago | fnlondon.com | Jacob Gershman |C. Ryan Barber |Victoria Albert

Trump and Judiciary in Escalating Standoff Over Wrongfully Deported MigrantJudge demands more answers from government about what it has done to facilitate migrant’s return Updated April 15, 2025 at 7:34 PM ET GREENBELT, Md.—The Trump administration is setting up the biggest test yet of judges’ authority to rein in its actions, as it skirts court orders that it facilitate the return of a migrant deported in error to a Salvadoran maximum-security prison.
Trump’s $1 Billion Law Firm Deals Are the Work of His Personal Lawyer

1 month ago | wsj.com | Josh Dawsey |C. Ryan Barber

Boris Epshteyn, who doesn’t work for the government, has negotiated with a series of law firms to cajole them into entering dealsPresident Trump has reached around $1 billion in deals with the country’s top law firms in the past month, using the full weight of his presidency to threaten their business. To do these deals, Trump has turned to a lawyer who doesn’t work for the government. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Trump’s $1 Billion Law Firm Deals Are the Work of His Personal Lawyer

1 month ago | fnlondon.com | Josh Dawsey |C. Ryan Barber

Trump’s $1 Billion Law Firm Deals Are the Work of His Personal LawyerBoris Epshteyn, who doesn’t work for the government, has negotiated with a series of law firms to cajole them into entering deals Published April 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM ET President Trump has reached around $1 billion in deals with the country’s top law firms in the past month, using the full weight of his presidency to threaten their business. To do these deals, Trump has turned to a lawyer who doesn’t work for the government.
Judge Presses Trump Administration for Updates on Mistakenly Deported Man

1 month ago | wsj.com | Joseph De Avila |C. Ryan Barber

GREENBELT, Md.—A federal judge on Friday said she found it “extremely troubling” that the Trump administration couldn’t provide details on the status of a migrant mistakenly sent to a Salvadoran prison, a day after the Supreme Court ordered the government to seek the man’s return. “I’m not asking for state secrets,” Judge Paula Xinis said during a hearing Friday in Maryland federal court.
Exclusive | Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher Near Deals With White House

1 month ago | wsj.com | Emily Glazer |Josh Dawsey |C. Ryan Barber

A batch of large law firms are in discussions with the White House to reach deals that would avert restrictions on their business by promising to do pro bono work that President Trump supports, according to people familiar with the matter.
Washington’s Towering Judge Rolls With Trump’s Insults

1 month ago | wsj.com | Jan Wolfe |C. Ryan Barber

At 6-foot-6, Chief Judge James Boasberg rarely ducks attention. He’s taking MAGA criticism in stride. WASHINGTON—When sentencing a Capitol rioter last year, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg got an earful from the Jan. 6 defendant, who called him a clown. “I’m happy to let you say whatever you wish,” Boasberg told the man, a member of the far-right Proud Boys, adding, “I have treated you with courtesy in all of these proceedings.”Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Attorney General Directs Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty Against Luigi Mangione

1 month ago | tovima.com | Corinne Ramey |C. Ryan Barber

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione , the accused killer of a UnitedHealth executive, calling the slaying a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”“After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again,” Bondi said.