Avi and Kate are joined by Piper French. Piper is a journalist covering the criminal legal system in the United States. You can find her work at Bolts Magazine here https://boltsmag.org/authors/piper-french/

On this episode, we discuss the community efforts to limit solitary confinement in California and the current proposal to roll back regulations that limits the use of solitary confinement in California. The jumping off point is Piper's article here: https://boltsmag.org/california-dials-back-solitary-reforms/

We also talk about Piper's coverage of communities following prison closures (https://boltsmag.org/susanville-prison-closure/) andthe project of reporting on the criminal legal system.

As always, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email @ dueprocessingmedia@gmail.com, follow us on socials, and consider giving us a rating or a share to spread the word.

We talk with former immigration judge and current immigration advocate, Ting Chen, about her work as an immigration judge, her firing by the Trump administration, ICE in and around Immigration Court, and the multi-pronged effort by the Trump administration to undermine asylum and other legal protections.

The conversation refers to the recent federal decision to remove ICE from immigration courts. For more on that, here is a link: https://www.aclunorcal.org/press-releases/federal-court-delivers-crushing-blow-to-trumps-mass-deportation-agenda-striking-down-courthouse-arrests-nationwide-and-restoring-protections-against-inhumane-detention/

Ting's story was covered by the SF Chronicle. Here is a link: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/judge-shuting-chen-immigration-21207729.php

Here is a NYT story about how the Trump administration purged immigration judges to speed up deportations: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/us/politics/trump-miller-immigration-judges-purge.html

Kate and Avi interview LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia & Senior Advisor (plus former federal defender) Dinah Manning. The conversation covers the role of the City Controller, financial transparency, community input in budget allocation, challenges and independence of the Controller's Office, and accountability. Dinah Manning talks about bringing her public defender background to the policy arena.