by Kaitlin Housler | Jun 5, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said remarks made by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing this week could significantly alter the legal landscape surrounding Kilmar...
by Kaitlin Housler | May 28, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy and Lead Reporter Tom Pappert criticized attorneys representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia, accusing the legal team of making false statements in a federal court filing concerning The Star’s investigative...
by Kaitlin Housler | Apr 8, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, argued that newly confirmed facts in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia undermine the defense’s central claim of vindictive prosecution. “This fact flies in the face of that narrative because it suggests this case was...
by Kaitlin Housler | Feb 27, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, 2025 Dao Prize winner and lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said testimony in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia hearing undercut claims of vindictive prosecution and instead confirmed that federal charges stemmed from reporting by The Star. In November 2022,...
by Kaitlin Housler | Feb 26, 2026 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
As a federal judge considers whether to throw out human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, The Tennessee Star’s Lead Reporter and 2025 Dao Prize winner Tom Pappert said the absence of national media in the courtroom may signal the stakes of a hearing...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 16, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said alleged human smuggler Kilmar Abrego Garcia is mounting a carefully orchestrated public relations campaign to cast himself as a victim, despite years of immigration violations and mounting criminal allegations...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 12, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, argued Obama-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis relied on what he calls “crackpot” legal logic by ruling that the visa used to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. for prosecution nullified his standing...
by Kaitlin Housler | Dec 8, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, The South
Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said a cluster of unusual and rapid court actions in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case has fueled speculation that a plea deal may be back on the table for the alleged human smuggler. While Pappert stressed the possibility...
by Kaitlin Housler | Nov 20, 2025 | Culture, News, Tennessee, The South, TN LEAD
The Tennessee Star has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism for its investigative series uncovering the infamous 2022 Tennessee traffic stop of Kilmar Abrego Garcia which led to the filing of human smuggling charges....
by Zachery Schmidt | Oct 22, 2025 | Justice, News, Tennessee, The South
Three far-left legal groups assisted Tennessee Democrats in filing a lawsuit aimed at halting the National Guard deployment in Memphis. On Monday, Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal denied the Democrats’ request for a temporary restraining order;...
