Nonfiction

Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness

Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness

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  • Create Date：2022-02-15 11:21:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Laura Coates
  • ISBN：1797135317
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Summary

A powerful true story and groundbreaking account of bias in the courtroom from CNN senior legal analyst Laura Coates， recounting her time as a Black female prosecutor for the US Department of Justice。

In this urgent， timely， and deeply personal debut， Just Pursuit exposes the bias in the justice system from the perspective of a Black female federal prosecutor at the US Department of Justice。 Through the prism of Laura Coates’s experience， first as a voting-rights attorney in the Civil Rights Division and then as a federal prosecutor as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington DC， we see a system that perpetuates bias and unfairness。 Coates finds herself constantly torn between upholding her oath as a public servant， honored by the opportunity to represent the people of the United States， and at odds with her principles and lived experience as a Black woman and mother。 It challenged her very notions of justice。

On the front lines of our legal system， she sees how Black communities are policed differently; Black crimes are prosecuted differently; Black defendants are judged differently。 How Black men are not given the very benefit of the doubt that is demanded by police officers; and how the court system seems to be the one place where minorities seem to be overrepresented， an unrelenting parade of Black and Brown defendants in numbers that belies their percentage in the population。 She is unwilling to look away from the hardest moments of her career， often caught between wanting to protect the Black community and her duty to serve， moments which question the very underpinning of who the justice system serves。

Now a senior legal analyst at CNN and George Washington University law professor， Laura Coates distills how the law intersects with modern civil rights every day。 Through these reflective， confessional， and captivating scenes in the courtroom， Laura Coates explores the tension between the idealism of the law and the lived reality of working within the parameters of our flawed legal system， revealing the chasm between what is right and what is lawful。

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Reviews

Tom Feux ，

close up and personal This intimate view of the grunge of courthouses where justice is not always recognizable is part of the story of Ms Coates personal journey。 The mechanics of prosecution and defense overshadow， even preclude the use of empathy and human understanding to arrive at true justice。

Lauri ，

I picked up this book because I have great respect and admiration for Laura Coates’ legal mind which is often on display on CNN。 The last two chapters did not disappoint。 I would have given this book 5 stars， however， if the analysis of the end was applied to each one of the vignettes she provided。 Up to that point， the book is very much a memoir with her personal family story and some of the cases she wishes to highlight。 I think this would’ve been a much stronger book had there been a chapter I picked up this book because I have great respect and admiration for Laura Coates’ legal mind which is often on display on CNN。 The last two chapters did not disappoint。 I would have given this book 5 stars， however， if the analysis of the end was applied to each one of the vignettes she provided。 Up to that point， the book is very much a memoir with her personal family story and some of the cases she wishes to highlight。 I think this would’ve been a much stronger book had there been a chapter analysis after each one of those vignettes similar to her discussion at the end of the book。 。。。more

Richard ，

Long-winded and not convincing。 Her few examples are not very informative。 This self-marketing author's book focuses on herself。 Long-winded and not convincing。 Her few examples are not very informative。 This self-marketing author's book focuses on herself。 。。。more

Anne ，

More examples of how the justice system doesn’t work - this from the side of the prosecution。 Every case she shared makes you more aware of that。 I just finished a podcast called Murder in Oregon- it’s a pretty damming two punch。

Amy ，

Laura Coates was a prosecutor for the Department of Justice。 Her hope was to make a difference for those that most needed justice。 She quickly discovers though that our justice system does not make the difference she hopes。 The book begins with dire consequences for an illegal alien that has lived in America quietly for decades。 She shares the stories of innocents who are found guilty in the eyes of judges because of the clothes they wear and the way they talk。 She tells of time after time that Laura Coates was a prosecutor for the Department of Justice。 Her hope was to make a difference for those that most needed justice。 She quickly discovers though that our justice system does not make the difference she hopes。 The book begins with dire consequences for an illegal alien that has lived in America quietly for decades。 She shares the stories of innocents who are found guilty in the eyes of judges because of the clothes they wear and the way they talk。 She tells of time after time that because of race， justice is not served， until there comes the time when she can no longer watch race and income be the true judges in our justice system。 This book was not looking for sympathy but instead trying to portray an insider's look at what justice looks like for much of our society and looking for a more just system。 I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley。 My opinions are my own。 。。。more

Mal ，

A thoughtful， empathetic， insider view at the justice system and all its cracks。

Ann ，

A book I won’t forget。 I don’t watch CNN very often but I want to hear more from Laura Coates。

Susie Dumond ，

Laura Coates began her legal career to fight for vulnerable populations。 But in her years as a lawyer， she’s learned one thing: The pursuit of justice creates injustice。 In this memoir， she explores the flaws in our legal system and some of the many cases she’s witnessed where the law harmed those who most needed protection。This is a really thoughtfully and clearly written memoir about Coates' time as a DOJ prosecutor。 She highlights specific problems with the justice system by focusing on singl Laura Coates began her legal career to fight for vulnerable populations。 But in her years as a lawyer， she’s learned one thing: The pursuit of justice creates injustice。 In this memoir， she explores the flaws in our legal system and some of the many cases she’s witnessed where the law harmed those who most needed protection。This is a really thoughtfully and clearly written memoir about Coates' time as a DOJ prosecutor。 She highlights specific problems with the justice system by focusing on single cases， often adding a human perspective by tying in her own experience as a mother。 If you've ever watched a legal drama on TV and wondered about the real-life impacts of the justice system， this book is for you！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Mary ，

Quick read highlighting misjudgment in the legal system

Erica ，

3。75 stars。 This was really good。 I think it tended to get a little lost in the weeds， overexplaining case details and didn't always wrap itself back around to the point she was trying to make。 Overall， though I really liked how she approached this topic with nuance 3。75 stars。 This was really good。 I think it tended to get a little lost in the weeds， overexplaining case details and didn't always wrap itself back around to the point she was trying to make。 Overall， though I really liked how she approached this topic with nuance 。。。more

Annie ，

I could not put this book down！ Coates' book is beautifully written with such vivid descriptions I felt that I was the room with her as she recounts her courtroom experiences as a Black prosecutor for the Justice Department。 She lets us into her inner thoughts as she prosecutes cases that are heart-breaking。 We also feel empathy for survivors of abuse as they bravely tell their stories in court even as they are judged and belittled by judges and defense attorneys for the abusers。 Her explanation I could not put this book down！ Coates' book is beautifully written with such vivid descriptions I felt that I was the room with her as she recounts her courtroom experiences as a Black prosecutor for the Justice Department。 She lets us into her inner thoughts as she prosecutes cases that are heart-breaking。 We also feel empathy for survivors of abuse as they bravely tell their stories in court even as they are judged and belittled by judges and defense attorneys for the abusers。 Her explanations of what happens in the court room is a very helpful primer for those of us who are interested in the court system。 She also writes about being pregnant and being a mother with such clarity and effectively tells us about the impact of some of these cases effected her emotionally and physically。 The last chapter is also brilliantly written and is a departure from the rest of her book but aptly distills down issues of systemic racism intertwined with the justice system。 This last chapter is a call to action。 I highly recommend this poignant， informative and enlightening book。 。。。more

Samantha M ，

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway。 Laura Coates writes of her experiences a federal prosecutor。 With each chapter， Coates tells of a case or trial that she was a part of。 She weaves together haunting real-life stories of rape victims， wrongfully accused and those too young or immature to understand the consequences of their decisions。 Even though it took me several weeks to finish this book， I can remember each story told。 She writes with both compassion and objectivity， which I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway。 Laura Coates writes of her experiences a federal prosecutor。 With each chapter， Coates tells of a case or trial that she was a part of。 She weaves together haunting real-life stories of rape victims， wrongfully accused and those too young or immature to understand the consequences of their decisions。 Even though it took me several weeks to finish this book， I can remember each story told。 She writes with both compassion and objectivity， which to me， is a difficult balance to obtain。 I did not know anything about Laura Coates before beginning this book， and am now in admiration of her work。 。。。more

Megan L （Iwanttoreadallthebooks） ，

4 stars。 RTC。

Angie Powers ，

For most of the book， the author focuses on a particular case， victim， or even judge per chapter that illuminates some truth about our justice system。 There's no doubt that race is an important focus of whole book， but the last chapter brings a lot of factors together （but especially race） as she describes the "ecosystem" of justice。 I particularly enjoyed how she integrated her personal story， including the impact the secondary trauma of her job had on her。 For most of the book， the author focuses on a particular case， victim， or even judge per chapter that illuminates some truth about our justice system。 There's no doubt that race is an important focus of whole book， but the last chapter brings a lot of factors together （but especially race） as she describes the "ecosystem" of justice。 I particularly enjoyed how she integrated her personal story， including the impact the secondary trauma of her job had on her。 。。。more

Alexa Hamilton ，

This is likely meant to be some sort of answer to Just Mercy， only this time told from the prosecutor's side。 What is it like to be a black woman and a prosecutor？ What happens in your brain？ In your heart？ In the courtroom？ This is a book in chronological order but it's mostly a series of vignettes， of important court cases where the author learned things。 I learned a lot too， the author has also done a lot of media lately and her point of view is very interesting。 The book is not that compelli This is likely meant to be some sort of answer to Just Mercy， only this time told from the prosecutor's side。 What is it like to be a black woman and a prosecutor？ What happens in your brain？ In your heart？ In the courtroom？ This is a book in chronological order but it's mostly a series of vignettes， of important court cases where the author learned things。 I learned a lot too， the author has also done a lot of media lately and her point of view is very interesting。 The book is not that compelling but her experience is and I read it for that。 。。。more

Danielle ，

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for this ARC that I received as a goodreads giveaway。 A raw and powerful view into different cases/situations that Coates experienced as a prosecutor。 Loved her honesty and her writing style-wished she would have spent some time at the end discussing her exit from federal prosecution。

Seann Haver ，

Sad for coloured people It is sad that people of colour are treated so unfair。 I have listened to Laura on CNN， she is highly intelligent， fair， compassionate。 These qualities show in her writing even more so！Good read I highly recommend this book！

Kokie ，

There is a lot that could go wrong in a book essays about the justice system， especially from a prosecutor's point of view， and this book managed to do everything right。 Courts， lawyers， defendants， and victims were all given the space to be full people with lives before and after each moment the reader happened to see them for。I keep coming back to how humanizing this book make what can often be seen as a complicated bureaucratic system: the US Justice system。 Coates took her experiences living There is a lot that could go wrong in a book essays about the justice system， especially from a prosecutor's point of view， and this book managed to do everything right。 Courts， lawyers， defendants， and victims were all given the space to be full people with lives before and after each moment the reader happened to see them for。I keep coming back to how humanizing this book make what can often be seen as a complicated bureaucratic system: the US Justice system。 Coates took her experiences living in and contributing member of this "system" and reminded the reader that behind every impossibly large institution are human beings。 Feelings， fallibilities， and all。 This is a beautiful collection that hits all the right notes。 。。。more

LAMONT S ，

This was a surprising personal and poignant memoir。 I was surprised at how much Ms。 Coates was willing to share。 I couldn’t put the book down and read it in two days。

Robert L Hudson ，

This book is a blessing to read！Being an 87 year old white man who grew up in the capitol of the Confederacy， I witnessed much of the era of Black subjugation。 I’m so grateful to this author for her sharing such a beautifully told story of a life lived with such purpose and dedication！

Monekia Gause ，

I seldom give any book five stars， but this deserves it for so many reasons。This book should be required reading for all prosecutors。 Period。 Too， I would recommend this as a must-read for anyone who has a role in the criminal justice system， whether defense counsel， judge， law enforcement， or potential juror。 I urge those who have a passion for social justice to read this too - elected officials， lawmakers， advocates， law students， criminal justice majors/professors， and concerned citizens alik I seldom give any book five stars， but this deserves it for so many reasons。This book should be required reading for all prosecutors。 Period。 Too， I would recommend this as a must-read for anyone who has a role in the criminal justice system， whether defense counsel， judge， law enforcement， or potential juror。 I urge those who have a passion for social justice to read this too - elected officials， lawmakers， advocates， law students， criminal justice majors/professors， and concerned citizens alike。 And for anyone remotely interested in having a better understanding of the American criminal justice system， read this！！！ Laura Coates， now a CNN legal analyst， has been deep in the trenches in one of the most grueling U。S。 Attorney's Offices in the country。 （I know this because I too served a short but spirit-crushing stint as a black federal prosecutor in that office）。 As a black woman and a mother of black children， including a black son， Laura Coates uses her own personal stories to highlight some of the most heartbreaking issues plaguing the criminal justice system。 As you read this， Coates's writing will force you to do your own self-examination about how you might influence the system and/or how you might view things differently。 。。。more

Susie | Novel Visits ，

Thanks to @simonandschuster and @simon。audio for a #gifted audiobook of #justpursuit。⁣⁣3。5 stars - 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐔𝐈𝐓 by Laura Coates is subtitled 𝘈 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳'𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 and that truly best sums up this grave memoir。 In the earlier years of her career as an attorney Coates signed up for a four year stint with the Department of Justice in Washington， D。C。 In her role as a prosecutor， it was her job to protect vulnerable victims， a difficult job she was proud to do。 But as she got deepe Thanks to @simonandschuster and @simon。audio for a #gifted audiobook of #justpursuit。⁣⁣3。5 stars - 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐔𝐈𝐓 by Laura Coates is subtitled 𝘈 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳'𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 and that truly best sums up this grave memoir。 In the earlier years of her career as an attorney Coates signed up for a four year stint with the Department of Justice in Washington， D。C。 In her role as a prosecutor， it was her job to protect vulnerable victims， a difficult job she was proud to do。 But as she got deeper into the system， Coates began to see more and more just how differently Brown and Black people， both victims and defendants， were treated in the “justice” system。 She relayed stories of their callus treatment by law enforcement， other prosecutors， and even judges。 As her time in the justice system passed， Coates became increasingly disturbed by the imbalances that her own children would be facing。 Her book is a call for reform that joins the voice of so many others who have yet to truly be heard。⁣⁣⁣⁣While I liked the final message of 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵 and was drawn into many of the cases Coates presented， I also found myself a little confused at times。 I wasn’t always clear exactly what point she was trying to make on some of the cases。 Was the victim being treated unfairly？ The defendant？ Everyone in the system？ Maybe that actually was the point！ ⁣⁣ 。。。more

Robert Stevens ，

Laura Coates has written a book that is not only personal to her， but a book with many lessons and tales of our justice system alongside what is wrong with our system。 Laura highlights how just pursuits can cause collateral damage， which sting。 Being a familiar face， a person of color， but also a part of a system that puts people who look like her in prison， is difficult。 In the begininng， she felt that she needed to remain a prosecutor in order to balance out the system。 She viewed herself as b Laura Coates has written a book that is not only personal to her， but a book with many lessons and tales of our justice system alongside what is wrong with our system。 Laura highlights how just pursuits can cause collateral damage， which sting。 Being a familiar face， a person of color， but also a part of a system that puts people who look like her in prison， is difficult。 In the begininng， she felt that she needed to remain a prosecutor in order to balance out the system。 She viewed herself as being the exception， not the rule while wondering if her allegiance to her people or to the United States。 Was she still an asset？ A final straw for Laura came when she heard “We got another one” as if it was something worth celebrating。One of the stories that touched me greatly involved a person whose car was stolen and had a warrant， which meant that they could be deported due to their status。 This provided a number of issues: the criminal’s freedom for the victim’s detention and deprtation as the strongest。 The author spoke Spanish to let them know。 Laura wanted forgiveness for her role in the deportation， but recognized she was not the victim。 She hoped to follow her own principles as opposed to directives and thought thought how could she do what she did to another person of color。 Another touching momement stems from how racial stereotypes persist despite the evidence against them。 For instance， the idea that all of one race look alike。 In another case， she put in the work to clear the guy on trail as she found a photo of the actual criminal， not the defendent。 In sum， it becomes “[b]lack defendants versus the history of the United States。" In another case， the author tackles a judge with preconceived judgement on a case based on what a rape victim should look and sound like。 She mentions how the juge in this case was shopping for shoes while listening to a rape victim and when delivering the verdict said "No one who has been raped would。。。"In the conclusion， the author provides some helpful advice that one should appreciate the experience without getting consumed by it， how important compartmentalization was to coping， having empath， and being ambious in solving provlems。 She mentions how emotional detachment was important in her career， but the emotional attachment to her own kids led her to ask "what might happen to her own kids in the future？" The author suggests that we move beond the binary （defendent/prosecutor， victim/criminal， etc。）。 Also， something is clearly wrong when officers are reciting a script to get out of excessive force claims。 Most importantly， the author acknowledges that protests for change are nice， but since "race informs your sense of justice，" it is time to change the legal framework for the betterment of all。 。。。more

Al McKinnon ，

Excellent read。 Thanks Al

Patty ，

4。5

Tiffany ，

A truly difficult book to read - as it's meant to be。 I did have to skim through one particular chapter because reading about how a judge treated a sexual abuse survivor was really upsetting to me， but again， the book is meant to be upsetting and disturbing， and meant to illustrate to the reader how the justice system criminalizes and humiliates Black victims while treating white victims with kid gloves。 Reading about Ms。 Coates' interactions with white prosecutors and defense attorneys alike wh A truly difficult book to read - as it's meant to be。 I did have to skim through one particular chapter because reading about how a judge treated a sexual abuse survivor was really upsetting to me， but again， the book is meant to be upsetting and disturbing， and meant to illustrate to the reader how the justice system criminalizes and humiliates Black victims while treating white victims with kid gloves。 Reading about Ms。 Coates' interactions with white prosecutors and defense attorneys alike who don't seem to care what happens to Black perpetrators made me so angry that I had to set the book aside multiple times until I could deal with it again。 Nothing in the book is shocking or really even surprising， but that's what makes it all the more important: we should never let ourselves accept that institutionalized racism in the justice system is "just the way things are" and shrug our shoulders。 。。。more

Mary ，

By relying on vivid accounts of actual cases in which she was involved as a federal prosecutor， Laura Coates focuses a spotlight on the American criminal justice system。 In her deeply personal and， often， disquieting book， she takes us into the interview rooms and the court rooms and lets us relive with her the struggles she experienced on a daily basis to try to secure just results， all the while making it clear that true "justice" may often be unobtainable in a given situation。 By relying on vivid accounts of actual cases in which she was involved as a federal prosecutor， Laura Coates focuses a spotlight on the American criminal justice system。 In her deeply personal and， often， disquieting book， she takes us into the interview rooms and the court rooms and lets us relive with her the struggles she experienced on a daily basis to try to secure just results， all the while making it clear that true "justice" may often be unobtainable in a given situation。 。。。more

Virginia ，

Wow。 Told in short chapters， these individual stories pack a punch， enough that I took a break between many of them。 The book is well written and ends very strongly。 Recommended reading for all Americans。Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy。 Publish date January 18， 2022。

Kathleen ，

Laura Coates is currently a CNN senior legal analyst。 As such， she knows how to tell a compelling story to a broad audience。 This collection of well-written vignettes from her years working as a Department of Justice prosecutor focus on examples of the injustice inherent in our criminal justice system。 For example， while prosecuting a car theft， she discovered that the victim was an undocumented immigrant that had been living quietly in the U。S。 for the past twenty years。 She was obligated to no Laura Coates is currently a CNN senior legal analyst。 As such， she knows how to tell a compelling story to a broad audience。 This collection of well-written vignettes from her years working as a Department of Justice prosecutor focus on examples of the injustice inherent in our criminal justice system。 For example， while prosecuting a car theft， she discovered that the victim was an undocumented immigrant that had been living quietly in the U。S。 for the past twenty years。 She was obligated to notify ICE。 ICE did not even wish to allow the man the courtesy of notifying his wife and his employer of his capture。 Another of her vignettes describes the sad case of a teenager’s tearful testimony recounting her long-term sexual abuse by the mother’s boyfriend being completely discounted by the judge because of the clothes the girl was wearing。 。。。more

Bridgette ，

Just Pursuit is a very well-written book by former federal prosecutor， Laura Coates。 In this book， she outlines sixteen court cases that she witnessed or worked on herself that involved black defendants who were clearly prosecuted differently due to the color of their skin。 You'll read about her desire to help， only to be hindered by bureaucracy。 Highly recommend！ Just Pursuit is a very well-written book by former federal prosecutor， Laura Coates。 In this book， she outlines sixteen court cases that she witnessed or worked on herself that involved black defendants who were clearly prosecuted differently due to the color of their skin。 You'll read about her desire to help， only to be hindered by bureaucracy。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0