Ian MacDougall
Ian MacDougall is a contributing reporter at ProPublica.
Need to Get in Touch?
A lawyer as well as a journalist, he has written about crime, criminal justice and legal affairs for Harper’s, The Atlantic, Slate, The Guardian and n+1. Prior to attending law school, he was an Associated Press reporter, with stints in the Oslo, Norway, and Providence, Rhode Island, bureaus.
Supreme Risk
Most rights are based in statute, but dozens — such as rights to same-sex marriage, search warrants and Miranda warnings — are based on judicial rulings that the Supreme Court can overturn and that current justices have questioned some aspect of.
Congress Passes Bill to Rein in Conflicts of Interest for Consultants Such as McKinsey
President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation, whose Senate sponsors cited ProPublica’s reporting on McKinsey’s conflicts in working for both the FDA and opioid makers like Purdue Pharma.
What’s Really at Stake in a Politically Charged Supreme Court Case on Elections
Moore v. Harper could transform the law — but not in the way that many pundits, or even politicians, anticipate.
The Supreme Court Is Back in Session. Here’s What to Expect.
After overturning abortion rights and weakening gun controls, an overwhelmingly conservative court is set to consider vital matters involving elections, the environment and possibly the first prosecution of a U.S. president.
Citing ProPublica’s Reporting on McKinsey, Senators Propose Bill Addressing Contractors’ Conflicts of Interest
McKinsey consulted for the FDA without informing the agency of its work for opioid makers. Now lawmakers have introduced a bill to ensure federal contractors disclose conflicts of interest arising from private-sector work.
McKinsey Never Told the FDA It Was Working for Opioid Makers While Also Working for the Agency
The consulting giant was helping Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson fend off FDA regulations even as it helped shape FDA drug policy.
Police Say Seizing Property Without Trial Helps Keep Crime Down. A New Study Shows They’re Wrong.
Civil asset forfeiture laws, which allow police to seize property without trial, are frequently justified as tools to seize millions from kingpins. A new study reveals the median amount taken is as low as $369 in some states.
The Long Odds Facing Trump’s Attempts to Get State Legislatures to Override Election Results
State representatives in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia could do the president’s bidding. But the political and legal obstacles are formidable.
La campaña de Trump no logra encontrar un juez que ignore los hechos, pero no se da por vencida
La estrategia legal de Trump se ha reducido a esto: incluso cuando los jueces desestiman sus demandas por infundadas, presenta otras casi idénticas en nuevos tribunales, con la esperanza de encontrar jueces más favorables. El fracaso no lo ha frenado.
The Trump Campaign Can’t Find a Judge Who Will Ignore Facts — but It’s Trying
The Trump campaign’s legal strategy has come down to this: Even as judges dismiss lawsuits as baseless, it files nearly identical ones in new courts, hoping for more favorable judges. Failure has not slowed it down.