The Districts

August 1, 2019
An in-depth account of the two federal court districts that encompass New York City: the Southern District in Manhattan and the Eastern District in Brooklyn. Each of the districts is staffed by federal judges nominated by the White House and the Department of Justice and confirmed by the Senate--as are the prosecutors for each district, known as the U.S. Attorney. The judges normally serve until retirement, therefore shielding them from replacement based on partisan politics. The U.S. Attorney, on the other hand, serves at the pleasure of the most recently elected president and his attorney general. To explore the inner workings of each district, New York City-based reporter Dwyer (American Warlord: A True Story, 2015), who has contributed to Esquire, the Guardian, VICE, and other international publications, examines specific criminal cases from these realms, including organized crime, white collar crime (Wall Street activity as well as specific corporate frauds), illegal narcotics, terrorism, and corruption by government officials (elected and appointed). As the author points out, at least 90 percent of cases filed by U.S. Attorneys lead to financial settlements and/or plea bargains. That means only a small percentage of cases go to trial, some of which involve a jury, others of which are heard only by a federal judge. For maximum drama--there is plenty of intrigue to be found in these pages--Dwyer focuses mostly on cases that reached the trial stage. In one of the public corruption cases, the author emphasizes the impact on one female juror who held out, at least for a while, against her fellow jurors, who wanted to go home after a lengthy trial and therefore quickly reached a guilty verdict. In every other case, though, Dwyer focuses on the prosecutors, defendants, defense lawyers, and judges. "If this book has a single premise," writes the author, "it is that the true measure of the justice within a society can be discovered by stepping into its courts." Occasionally, Dwyer's compare-and-contrast narrative grows prosaic; nonetheless, this well-documented, timely book will hold readers' attention.

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September 9, 2019
Journalist Dwyer (American Warlord) delivers a character-driven examination of New York City’s federal courts and the prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and jurors who make them run. His case studies, which are organized around the five “major categories of crime” (organized crime, drug trafficking, financial fraud, terrorism, and public corruption) prosecuted in Manhattan’s Southern District and Brooklyn’s Eastern District, mention such high-profile investigations as that of New York State assemblyman Sheldon Silver, who was convicted in 2018 on corruption charges, and Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to multiple crimes the same year. For the most part, however, Dwyer features defendants who aren’t household names. Among the most illuminating cases are those of Chevelle Nesbeth, an accused drug courier, and Imran Rabbani, a 17-year-old charged with attempting to support the Islamic State. Both trials hinge on legal nuances and showcase federal prosecutors and judges grappling with a defendant’s past, present, and potential future when making charging and sentencing decisions. Along the way, Dwyer also skillfully explains complex federal statutes, such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and traces shifting definitions of what constitutes criminal conduct in insider trading cases. Ultimately, he leaves it up to readers to decide whether justice is being served, but his balanced, sympathetic account demystifies and humanizes the criminal justice system.