Joe Sexton

Senior Editor

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Joe Sexton was a senior editor at ProPublica. Before coming to ProPublica in 2013, he had worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor at The New York Times. Sexton served as metropolitan editor at the Times from 2006 to 2011, and his staff won two Pulitzer Prizes, including the award for breaking news for its coverage of Eliot Spitzer’s downfall. From 2011 to 2013, Sexton served as the paper's sports editor, overseeing its coverage of the 2012 Summer Games in London and the Penn State scandal, among other major stories. The department under Sexton won a wide array of awards for its photography, art design and innovative online presentations. As a reporter, Sexton covered sports, politics, crime and the historic overhaul of the country's welfare legislation. His work was anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting (Houghton/Mifflin). Sexton is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn and the father of four daughters.

Cuomo’s Nursing Home Scandal Raises Questions for One of His Senior Aides

Jim Malatras stood by a Cuomo administration report on nursing home deaths he knew undercounted the true loss of life. Today, he is chancellor of New York State’s public university system.

Ruling on Murder Case by Judge Suffering From Dementia Will Stand, Court Says

Nelson Cruz, who has maintained his innocence for two decades, wanted a hearing to determine if the judge handling his case had been impaired. His request was rejected.

Cuomo Still Underreporting the Total Count of COVID Nursing Home Deaths

The governor finally released data on nursing home cases after lawsuits and demands from lawmakers, but hundreds of presumed COVID-19 deaths have yet to be included in the state's official total.

Cuomo Undercounted Nursing Home Deaths by as Much as 50%, Report Finds

A report by New York Attorney General Letitia James says that a survey of dozens of nursing homes suggests the number of residents who died of COVID-19 could be a huge undercount.

New York Court Officials Complete Rare Review of Cases Handled by Judge Forced Into Retirement by Dementia

A review of dozens of Judge ShawnDya Simpson’s cases found the decisions to be rational, a disappointment for a man whose claims of innocence had been one of the judge’s last cases.

Not Mentioned in Cuomo’s Coronavirus Book: How Many Nursing Home Residents Died in New York

Cuomo’s new book on leadership, published as the pandemic continues to ravage America, touts his willingness to speak hard truths about the pandemic. Why then has he still not said how many nursing home residents perished on his watch?

New York Court Officials to Review Cases Handled by Judge With Alzheimer’s

The review will involve only cases the judge, ShawnDya Simpson of State Supreme Court, dealt with while on medical leave.

He’d Waited Decades to Argue His Innocence. She Was a Judge Who Believed in Second Chances. Nobody Knew She Suffered from Alzheimer’s.

Nelson Cruz’s family was so sure Judge ShawnDya Simpson would free him, they brought a change of clothes to his hearing. Then everything took an unexpected turn. Can justice ever be sorted out?

Local Officials Say a Nursing Home Dumped Residents to Die at Hospitals

The deaths of 18 residents of a New York nursing home highlight the continuing controversy over the Cuomo administration’s decision not to count deaths in hospitals as nursing home deaths. The home denies the allegations.

The Cuomo Administration Hasn’t Said Which Nursing Homes Were Infected With COVID-19 After Its Order Sent Positive Patients Into Them

Dozens of New York nursing homes didn’t see their first COVID-19 case until sick patients were sent there, many under Andrew Cuomo’s state policy. To date, 6% of the state’s nursing home population, or roughly 6,500 residents, have died.

Andrew Cuomo’s Report on Controversial Nursing Home Policy for COVID Patients Prompts More Controversy

A state report on Cuomo’s decision to order nursing homes to take in COVID positive patients in the early days of the pandemic fails to deal with the central question: did such admissions lead to more infection and death, and if so how significantly.

“Fire Through Dry Grass”: Andrew Cuomo Saw COVID-19’s Threat to Nursing Homes. Then He Risked Adding to It.

A nursing home in Troy, New York, followed the governor’s order to accept patients being treated for COVID-19. Six weeks later, 18 residents were dead of the disease.

Two Coasts. One Virus. How New York Suffered Nearly 10 Times the Number of Deaths as California.

California’s governor and San Francisco’s mayor worked together to act early in confronting the COVID threat. For Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio, it was a different story, and 27,000 New Yorkers have died so far.

End-of-Life Care Laws Were Supposed to Help New Yorkers. They Don’t Always Work.

New York state has laws governing what health care providers are obligated to provide to patients and families facing end-of-life decisions. It’s hard to say how well they are being enforced.

The Wrong Goodbye

A wrenching decision to end life support, and the unthinkable mistake that devastated not one but two families.

He Spent Years Infiltrating White Supremacist Groups. Here’s What He Has to Say About What’s Going on Now.

Michael German, a former federal agent, sees cause for praise and concern.

Las Vegas Man Arrested in Plots Against Jews Was Said to Be Affiliated With Atomwaffen Division

The federal authorities confront a Neo-Nazi group that ProPublica and Frontline have been covering for years.

Last Rights: Making Sense of the Supreme Court’s Series of Death Penalty Rulings

Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times, give us some context and insight into the recent dust-ups over the death penalty and the case of Domineque Ray, who was executed on Feb. 7.

Trump, All About Winning, Sees Losses in Court Pile Up

The president has had scores of his initiatives shot down by federal judges. The Washington Post actually counted how many.

Head of New York City’s Private Trash Industry Regulator Is Stepping Down

Daniel Brownell, appointed to lead the Business Integrity Commission by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014, endured months of embarrassing news coverage and complaints from lawmakers that his agency was too lax.

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