Jessica Pishko

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Contributor at Slate

she/her Author of The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy Repped by @rhaliterary jesspish AT gmail

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Articles

The Private Citizens Who Want to Help Trump Deport Migrants

2 days ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Pishko

Christie Hutcherson, the right-wing activist from Texas who founded the organization Women Fighting for America, describes herself as a national-security expert and an authority on immigration. She often films herself in aviator sunglasses and hoop earrings, speaking to her online followers from the U.S.-Mexico border and showing her viewers distant figures whom she claims are cartel members.
Posse Comitatus

1 month ago | sheriffs.substack.com | Jessica Pishko

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Trump Made the Law Enforcement Baronial Class His Best Friend

1 month ago | sheriffs.substack.com | Jessica Pishko

Last night, Donald Trump issued an executive order unsubtly titled, “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens.”There’s a lot of unpack right there – noting the “innocent civilians” – but I wanted to address some of the substance of the executive order based on what law enforcement lobbying agencies have been demanding since the Biden administration.
Trump Administration Dismantles Protections Against Law Enforcement Abuses

1 month ago | democracydocket.com | Jessica Pishko

President Donald Trump has flouted judicial orders and publicly mused aloud about sending American citizens to the notorious mega-prison in El Salvador. So it’s hardly a surprise that his administration has effectively removed all of the guardrails protecting U.S. residents from the abuses of law enforcement.
Posse Comitatus

1 month ago | open.substack.com | Jessica Pishko

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Trump’s Crackdown on Protests is Spreading to Local Law Enforcement

2 months ago | democracydocket.com | Jessica Pishko

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he has led a high-profile campaign to crack down on lawful protests. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came,” Trump wrote on social media earlier this month, in reference to protests on college campuses.
Your Sheriff Might Be Planning to Help ICE Conduct Mass Deportations

2 months ago | thebulwark.com | Jessica Pishko

AS THE WHITE HOUSE CONTINUES TO PRESSURE Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ramp up its rate of deportations, the agency has cast about for allies willing to help them meet President Trump’s expectations. While many have answered that call, one group in particular has stood out for its willingness to be deputized, as it were, to help make mass deportations a reality: sheriffs.
Your Sheriff Might Be Planning to Help ICE Conduct Mass Deportations

2 months ago | yahoo.com | Jessica Pishko

AS THE WHITE HOUSE CONTINUES TO PRESSURE Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ramp up its rate of deportations, the agency has cast about for allies willing to help them meet President Trump’s expectations. While many have answered that call, one group in particular has stood out for its willingness to be deputized, as it were, to help make mass deportations a reality: sheriffs.
Democrats Paid For Trump's Army

Mar 5, 2025 | libertiesjournal.com | Jessica Pishko

The first few weeks of Donald Trump’s second administration have been characterized, among other things, by an obscene display of policing power, one that has largely alarmed liberals because it appears completely lawless. One of Trump’s initial acts was pardoning and commuting people convicted of crimes related to January 6, including some who had injured law enforcement officers or had substantial criminal histories.
What Happens When an Executive Ignores the Law? Ask Constitutional Sheriffs.

Feb 26, 2025 | democracydocket.com | Jessica Pishko

Vice President JD Vance took umbrage at the idea that a federal judge could pause President Donald Trump’s massive extermination of government programs via a post on Elon Musk’s social media platform X that flouted the long-held doctrine that the judicial branch determines whether executive actions are in line with the U.S. Constitution: “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” Not to be outdone, a few days later, Trump posted a quote frequently attributed to...