Due Process. Presumption of Innocence. Constitutional Accountability.
Deep-dive legal analysis of criminal trials. No cheerleading for prosecution or defense. Just the truth about how the system works, and doesn't.
Day 7 ended the evidence in the trial of David Prevatte: two DNA witnesses identified no one, the judge dismissed count two, and the defense rested without calling a witness.
Read →Day 14 of the Frostproof Massacre trial: after three families spoke, Judge Jalal A. Harb sentenced Tony "TJ" Wiggins to life in prison without the possibility of parole, as heard on Count Three and Count Two, "those two run consecutive." What was heard, what was not, and what the jury never heard from the brother and the girlfriend.
Read →Day 2 of the Faith Hedgepeth trial: the roommate is cross-examined on a door-frame bloodstain nobody asked her about until 2026, a friend repeats the red smudge he saw on her finger in 2012, the jury hears the 911 call, and the judge strikes a technician's answer on how the blood spatter got there.
Read →Her mother told the jury what she says she saw on April 7. The plaintiff's psychologist named a diagnosis, then answered for her bill. And after the judge refused, a second time, to let her lawyers question Tyreek Hill first, his own lawyer walked him through a denial of every allegation, a hole in a wall, and words he says he wishes he could take back.
Read →Day 6 of the uncle on trial in Paitin Fields' death: three crime lab analysts, a 2021 re-read that put her DNA beside his on the earbuds and one pair of pants, and a cross that asked how it got there.
Read →Tyreek Hill's lawyers spent the morning showing the jury what isn't there. Her family told the jury what she told them. Then, with the jurors gone home, the judge decided how the man at the center of all of it takes the stand, and the plaintiff's side objected for the record.
Read →Day 1 of the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial: the State says one stranger's DNA ends nine years of questions, the defense says DNA cannot say when, and the roommate who found Faith tells the jury about the night, the one key and the unlocked door.
Read →Day 5 of the uncle on trial in Paitin Fields' death: the judge let her sister's recorded interviews in as evidence, the State's own witnesses filled the afternoon, and a detective agreed his enhanced photos were altered.
Read →Day 4 of the uncle on trial in Paitin Fields' death: the clothing nobody collected, a house nobody sealed, and a horseshoe shape that is not in the pathologist's 2017 report.
Read →At the Day 9 sentencing, Caleb Flynn denied killing Ashley Flynn, her family answered with forgiveness and a demand for the maximum, and Judge Pratt chose life without parole over the parole-eligible terms Ohio allows.
Read →Select a case to explore background reports, daily breakdowns, and all coverage in one place.
Every case runs in four lanes: the full live broadcasts, the No Breaks edition with every recess removed, the trial analysis podcast, and the key moments. Pick a trial and pick your lane.
Playlists for every past case live on that case's coverage page, and the full library is on the channel.
All Playlists on YouTube Subscribe for Daily Coverage
One Decision Changes Everything
A CPA's life is destroyed after a tragic accident. But was the process that convicted him actually just?
Dave Schrader had everything. A successful practice. A family who loved him. Then came the party, the dark country road, and the split-second choice that would cost a sixteen-year-old boy his life. What follows isn't just a story about guilt or punishment. It's a story about what happens when a man enters a system designed to produce outcomes, not fairness.
Justice isn't an outcome. Justice is a process.
Get the Book on AmazonIndependent legal coverage takes time, resources, and relentless effort. Here's how you can help continue the mission Steven M. Askin started.
One-time contributions go directly to supporting trial coverage, research, and keeping this operation running. No subscription needed.
Support on Ko-fiQuick and direct. Send support instantly through Cash App. Every dollar goes toward continuing the mission.
$JusticeisaprocessYouTube members get access to the live Toolkit folder with downloadable breakdowns, case documents, live stream perks, and badges.
Join on YouTubeOfficial merchandise. T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and more. Every purchase supports independent legal coverage.
Shop Merchandise
I'm not a lawyer. I'm trained differently.
At age 12, I watched my father get indicted. I sat in the courtroom audience. I reviewed his files. I got an education no law school provides. I became a criminal defendant's family member facing the possibility of losing everything.
My father, Steven M. Askin, was a renowned West Virginia criminal defense attorney for 23 years. He was prosecuted twice by the system he challenged. First for protecting attorney-client privilege. Later for teaching people their constitutional rights from a coffee shop.
"The system only works if we force it to work. If we watch. If we question. If we refuse to let them operate in darkness."
Justice Is A Process continues his legacy. We cover trials not to entertain, but to educate. To teach people how the system really works. To be the watchdog the justice system needs.
Have feedback? Know of a case we should cover? Want to share a tip or just say hello? Reach out directly.
Click to open your email app, or copy the address above
1948 — 2024
Steven M. Askin was a West Virginia criminal defense attorney for 23 years. He wasn't just a lawyer. He was a fighter who believed that constitutional rights belong to everyone, not just those who can afford them.
In 1994, the federal government came for him. He refused to violate attorney-client privilege, even when a judge ordered him to testify. He went to prison for seven months. The West Virginia Supreme Court disbarred him in 1998.
But he didn't stop. He rebuilt. He became a street lawyer, working from coffee shops in Martinsburg, helping people the system abandoned. People who couldn't afford lawyers. People fighting Pro Se against a machine designed to crush them. He taught them the law. He showed them how to stand up for their rights. He did it for free, or for whatever they could afford.
In 2009, on the morning he was supposed to get his law license back, he was indicted on 11 counts of unauthorized practice of law. For helping people from a coffee shop. For teaching them their constitutional rights. The prosecutor said she feared he would "disrupt the legal system."
She was right to be afraid. His mission lives on.
"The system only works if we force it to work. If we watch. If we question. If we refuse to let them operate in darkness."
Follow his story in the documentary podcast series
Watch Episode 1: The Story BeginsNew episodes on the Justice Is A Process YouTube channel
