Case Tracker: Observations on Year One

NACDL's Criminal Case Tracker first-year report covers January 2025 through January 2026, documenting two significant trends in federal prosecutions. These include unusual opacity in grand jury "no true bill" reporting — historically a rare outcome — and a striking rate of jury acquittals in cases involving charges of assaulting or interfering with immigration enforcement agents.

NACDL’s Criminal Case Tracker monitors and analyzes select federal prosecutions that reflect unusual or aggressive uses of criminal law.

This report summarizes two trends that have been observed during the first year of the NACDL Criminal Case Tracker project. This covers the time period of January 21, 2025, through January 20, 2026. First, there has been a lack of transparency and consistency in the reporting of “no true bills” issued by grand juries. This occurs when a grand jury refuses to indict a defendant in a case presented to it by a federal prosecutor. “No true bills” have historically been a very rare occurrence. Second, there has been an unusually high percentage of jury acquittals at trial where the defendant was charged with assaulting or interfering with immigration enforcement agents.

Case Tracker Year One Observations

The Report

  • Case Tracker Year One Observations

    NACDL's Criminal Case Tracker first-year report covers January 2025 through January 2026, documenting two significant trends in federal prosecutions. These include unusual opacity in grand jury "no true bill" reporting — historically a rare outcome — and a striking rate of jury acquittals in cases involving charges of assaulting or interfering with immigration enforcement agents.

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